I Got You
by iBloo
Summary: Boruto and Sarada are childhood friends, and attend the same University. They cling on to each other to make it through, and ultimately realize that they value each other more than just friends.
1. Childhood Friends

A/N: I expanded on my one-shot found in my 'Say it Again' compilation, "I Got You." You can read that before you head on over here, so you have a feel of how this story will go. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Beta read by: Bingbin and Poodie. Thank you so much!

* * *

Boruto slumped down on the table, and pouted. "I really regret introducing her to all those people at Iwabe's party last week." He continued to watch Sarada and Chocho a few feet away from their table, surrounded by five guys.

Mitsuki was jotting down notes next to him. "I don't see what the big deal is." He shifted his golden eyes to their dark haired friend for a split second before returning to his notes. "They're just being friendly. Sarada is a good friend to have, after all."

Boruto released a long sigh. His best friend had a point. There was a reason why the three of them have been close since grade school. But he and Sarada went way back–back when they were only a day old. It was thanks to their parents, really. His dad and her dad. They went to the same school together, and even took the same course. The very same course that he and Sarada were taking–Law.

"Even if you glare at all those guys, they're not going to leave her alone," Mitsuki said.

"Tch. This is stupid," he sulked. "Why would I even care she has a lot of guys around her?"

"Because you love her!" Wasabi plopped down in front of Mitsuki with a shit eating grin on her face. "Hey, Mitsuki, what did you get for number three?"

Boruto froze in place. "That's bullshit and you know it, Wasabi. Sarada and I are just _friends_."

Mitsuki smiled until his eyes closed. "I'm actually solving it now."

"Oh, let me see!"

The two of them completely ignored the blond, adding to his growing agitation with the situation at hand.

The bell rang. Mitsuki and Wasabi packed up their books.

"I'll see you later, Boruto." Mitsuki waved. Wasabi did, too, before they headed to their building.

Boruto sat up and collected his things. His eyes never left Sarada's figure. She walked to class with three guys in tow. He felt himself frown.

"This is so stupid," he muttered.

* * *

Things were not going his way. Because Sarada had those three guys following her around, he didn't get to sit next to her in three consecutive classes. He had to sit at the back row, and got distracted just watching her be with other guys.

The bell rang, and he gathered his things. He was surprised to hear someone calling out to him.

"Boruto!"

He looked around, and his sapphire eyes landed on her onyx ones. She was waving at him from her seat, beckoning him to come to her.

* * *

"I told you guys, I can't go to dinner," she smiled apologetically. "I have a dinner with my family, and his," she pointed towards Boruto's direction with her head.

"What?" The guy with brown hair exclaimed. "What for?"

"Our parents are close." She grinned. Boruto was now next to her. She turned to him and smiled. "I'll meet you at the lobby in an hour, alright? Let's take your car?"

Boruto blinked a few times before responding. "Yeah, sure."

She linked her arm in his and waved at the three guys good bye. "See you!" Sarada pulled him away, walking a little too fast for his liking.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Sarada released a sigh of relief. "I've been trying to shake them off since second period."

"Well, it looked like you were enjoying yourself," he muttered.

Sarada was texting on her phone. She looked up. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing." He rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What was that about? The whole, me bringing my car?"

She looked at him with her wide, dark eyes and blinked twice. "Don't tell me you forgot. We're meeting our families tonight for dinner."

Boruto shut his eyes tightly. "Oh shit, yeah. I totally forgot."

Sarada giggled. "That's so like you. Anyway, I'll see you in an hour in the lobby?"

He regarded her for a few seconds before smirking. "I'll pick you up at your dorm."

A smile came up to her lips. She felt better knowing that she would be in his company for a little while longer before they needed to socialize with their families. "Sure."

* * *

A/N: This is fic where I will indulge in all of my favorite romcom tropes. I hope you liked it! Updates will come every few days or so, since the chapters are really short.

Leave me a review and let me know what you think? :)


	2. The Dinner

I don't own Naruto.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read, faved, followed, and reviewed the first chapter! Here's the next. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Boruto looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a black coat over matching dress pants. The light pink long sleeved shirt he wore was slightly rumpled. A magenta colored tie hung loosely around his neck. He had no patience for these family dinners, more-so tying a tie. He shrugged the coat off and hooked it on his fingers before tossing it over his shoulder.

"I'm heading out, Mitsuki," he said.

His roommate smiled and gave him a small wave. "Say hi to your parents for me."

The blond nodded and walked out of their dorm. He made his way to Sarada's dorm.

* * *

He heard two voices inside talking in the room. He knocked four times. One hard, two quick, and one light. He always knocked this way whenever he was sneaking up to her balcony back when they were only twelve.

The two voices hushed, and the door opened. He came face to face with Sarada. She was in a wine colored dress, her raven hair flowed down passed her shoulders, and her glasses were gone. It doesn't matter how many times he's seen her without her glasses, but it always managed to make him forget his words.

"What are you wearing?" She said.

He blinked a few times and looked at himself. "Formal clothes?"

She sighed. "You're not even wearing a tie."

He fished out his tie from his pocket and gave her a wide and goofy grin. "Tie it for me?"

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Honestly. What would you do without me?" She took the tie from his fingers and placed it around his neck. She began tying his tie when her roommate spoke up.

"Tying the knot this early? I was expecting you to at least finish college first," she snickered.

Boruto laughed. He was well acquainted with Sarada's roommate. She was a cool kid studying Fashion Design. He got along with her quite well.

A light pink dusted Sarada's cheeks. "Shut up, Chocho!"

Her roommate giggled. "Whatever. You two have fun, now." She winked.

Boruto enjoyed teasing Sarada. He and Chocho especially got along well in that department.

Sarada pulled the knot a little too tight around his neck. "Ouch!" He exclaimed.

She picked up her purse and proceeded walking out of her dorm, with Boruto following suit. They walked in comfortable silence to the university's parking lot, and he silently marvelled at how she could manage walking in four inch heels across the entire campus while keeping her posture straight, and her stride graceful.

He opened the door for her as she slid in his red sports car. Boruto hopped in the driver's seat and placed the key in the ignition. "Who's going today?" he asked.

"Everyone," she replied nonchalantly as she crossed her arms. There was a subtle coldness to her tone.

Boruto winced. He _did not_ look forward to seeing her grandfather.

It was a well known fact that Sarada's family owned one of the biggest law firms in the continent. Despite her father taking over as CEO last year, everyone knew that her grandfather, Fugaku Uchiha, still pulled the strings. It was late last year when Uchiha & Senju merged with Uzumaki & Hyūga, now forming Uchiha & Uzumaki.

The merger put a lot of stress on their families, mainly Naruto and Sasuke. They treated each other like brothers, but when the competition came for whose name was going to come first, their old rivalry resurfaced. It was Hinata who placated Naruto to let Sasuke have it. She reminded him that a name wasn't worth ruining their friendship.

" _Our bond is stronger than that," Naruto laughed. "But yeah, I guess Sarada would make a better lead partner than Boruto, right?" he joked._

Boruto gritted his teeth. Right before he entered college, his fate was sealed. He would become a lawyer and take over the firm one day. He never liked the idea. Unlike Sarada, who always seemed resigned to the profession. Ever since the merger, the pressure had been cranked up ten levels higher for for the both of them, but for _her_ especially. Her grandfather in particular pushed her to become the best, as it was only expected out of an Uchiha.

"Is Uncle Itachi going?" He asked as he drove out of the university grounds, trying to lighten the mood.

"I hope he is," Sarada replied quietly. "I haven't seen him in months."

Boruto knew that she adored her uncle, and he adored her as well. He was the genius in their family. He finished his undergraduate course and law school in less than seven years, and he scored number one in the bar exams. Right after he passed, he pursued a career in music. He told his father he never wanted to be a lawyer, and pursued being a professional violinist. He admired him. It took a lot of guts to stand up to your father. It was just unfortunate that the burden of taking over the firm was then passed on Sasuke.

He nodded in reply and continued driving until they reached the restaurant. He rolled his eyes when he saw the grandeur of the facade. "Why do we always have to eat at places like _this_?" He muttered.

"Grandfather likes the steak here," she replied.

Boruto smirked. "Why doesn't it surprise me that old man Fugaku loves to eat overpriced slabs of meat?"

* * *

The whole family was there. They all sat in a huge, circular table. Minato, Kushina, Naruto, Hinata, Boruto, Himawari, Itachi, Sarada, Sakura, Sasuke, Mikoto and Fugaku sat together side by side. Everything was going well until Fugaku spoke to Sarada.

"How are your grades, Sarada?" he asked gruffly.

"Fine, grandfather," she replied politely. "I'm enjoying my classes and—"

His eyebrows furrowed together and cut her short. "That doesn't matter. You're an _Uchiha_. You need to be _the best_. What is your standing?"

His bluntness made her stiffen. Before she could open her mouth, Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Sarada gets good grades because she enjoys what she's learning."

"I didn't ask you, _Haruno_ ," Fugaku barked. Everyone at the table exchanged looks. It was no secret that he didn't approve of his son marrying the doctor. It had already been eighteen years, and it seemed like he was still not over it.

"Father," Sasuke gave him an even, yet cold stare.

"Sarada's the top of the class without even trying," Sakura replied with a devilishly sweet smile. Naruto looked at her with a slight smirk on his face. He _knew_ she was going in for the kill. "Imagine what more if she did try? You would probably be running for your money."

Boruto snickered. All eyes snapped to him.

Fugaku was turning red in the face. "Is there something funny, _boy_?"

He laced his fingers behind his head and smirked. "I agree with Aunt Sakura. Can't expect _anything less_ from a _Haruno_ , right?" There was a challenging and mischievous glint in his blue eyes as he stared Fugaku down. He loved his Aunt, and he knew she didn't deserve that jab. He knew Sarada was brilliant not just because she was an Uchiha, but because her Haruno genes jumped in and made it even better. He then moved his gaze to Sarada who sat across from him. He grinned and winked at her.

His grandparents were smiling, feeling a little nonplussed. Hinata looked worried, afraid that her son may have gone a little too far this time. Naruto and Himawari exchanged a quick, and knowing look.

Mikoto placed her hand on her husband's arm, trying to calm him down. Itachi averted his gaze, trying to hide the curl of his lips. A ghost of a smirk graced Sasuke's face, yet he still kept his cool demeanor. Sakura on the other hand had a shit eating grin on her face.

As soon as he saw the way she looked at him, with her cheeks flushed as she bit her lower lip and smiled, he knew the scolding that he was going to get later was more than worth it.

* * *

A/N: Boruto's a sweetheart, isn't he? In case you're wondering why I the chapters are really short and not too detailed, it's because this chapter fic is something I write on a whim, and I treat writing it like a one-shot (one chapter in one-sitting). I just wanted to expand on this story because I think college BoruSara is adorable. Some chapters are longer than the others, though.

Let me know what you think of this chapter by leaving me a review? :)


	3. Disconnect

A/N: Terribly sorry I didn't update! I was hanging out in a secluded island wherein internet and reception was next to impossible to achieve. But worry not! Here is the next chapter, and I will update again within the week!

Beta read by: Poodie

* * *

Boruto and Inojin were playing beer pong. The conversation started innocent enough.

"So, how was dinner last night, Boruto?"

He was too distracted trying to aim to reply right away. He missed. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath. "It was fine."

Inojin snickered. He took a ball and aimed for one of Boruto's cups. "Oh? A little bird told me that you talked back to old man Fugaku."

Boruto grimaced. Inojin scored. He made a motion of picking up the cup and drinking. Boruto pouted but picked up the cup and drank anyway. He chugged it all down and placed the empty red cup aside. He took a ball and started to aim.

"Who told you that?" Boruto asked casually.

Inojin snickered. "A little bird did."

Boruto slammed his hands on the table. "If you're still flirting with my sister, I'm telling you, you need to quit it."

Inojin raised a brow and feigned hurt. "I would never touch your precious Hima-chan!"

Boruto relaxed a bit.

"Not until she's eighteen, at least."

Before he could dive across the table to strangle Inojin, Chocho held on to the back of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Woah there, tiger. I heard the same thing, too."

Boruto was livid. First they invade his privacy, drag Sarada into it, and now his little sister was being defiled. Was nothing sacred anymore? "Heard what?"

"The way you stuck up for Sarada and Aunty Sakura, of course!" Chocho placed her hand on her hip and flipped her hair with the other. "It all sounded so noble and naughty at the same time. You get plus points for that from me." She winked. "I knew you would make a good match for Sarada."

"Are we talking about Boruto's love life?" Boruto jumped. Mitsuki always had a knack for popping out of nowhere. Sneakier than a snake, he thought.

Shikadai approached them, a lit cigarette between his middle and index finger. "This looks troublesome. What are you all up to?"

"Boruto likes Sarada!" Chocho said enthusiastically.

"He's just neck deep into the river of denial," Inojin added.

Before Boruto could have a magnificently bratty outburst, Mitsuki spoke up again, interrupting him. "Speaking of which, where is Sarada? I saw her earlier."

All of them scanned their surroundings. There weren't much people this late into Iwabe's party. It was mostly some freshman who were close to him, and a few juniors. His blue eyes swept the place, looking for his friend. He usually didn't allow her out of his sight during these kinds of parties.

He bowed slightly when Inojin hooked his arm around his neck and pushed Boruto's cheek to the right. "Looks like someone got to her before you could, dude."

Chocho batted her eyelashes. "Oh my. Isn't that a lovely view?"

Shikadai took a drag "Isn't he a junior?" He blew out slowly. "Kagura, right?"

Boruto forgot how to breathe. She was leaning against the wall, her cheeks lightly flushed. From the alcohol, their conversation, or fucking proximity, he didn't know. He was standing far too close to her for his liking.

Someone called Kagura's attention, temporarily breaking his conversation with Sarada. He said a few more things to her before he waved goodbye and left her.

Boruto's lips pressed into a fine line. His eyes were locked on hers. She returned his gaze. Something in the pit of Boruto's stomach fell, making him want to throw up. This was the first time in the entirety of his short life that he didn't understand what was going on with her with just one look.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews, faves and follows. They keep me inspired to write on. Let me know what you think of this chapter? :)


	4. Spill It

A/N: Here's the next chapter, and things start to pick up!

Beta read by: Poodie

* * *

Kagura Karatachi. Junior. Pink eyes. A scar running down his left cheek, one that he acquired from Fencing. Sand colored hair. Lean figure. He was a pretty boy, no doubt about it. He was also something of an enigma. Always so friendly, and polite. But no one really knew much about him personally. He came from a line of politicians, which is why he was studying Law in Konoha University. He was popular with everyone, not just with the ladies.

* * *

Boruto slumped down on the coffee table. He was staring at Sarada with a sour expression on his face.

"What is it, Boruto?" she asked, not looking up from her notes.

It was Wednesday today. Better known as _'Study Wednesdates'_ between the two. Boruto would pick her up from her dorm, have dinner together, and stay in Ninbucks until they finished their homework, or until the coffee shop closed. Whichever went first. He would then walk her back to her dorm.

"You've been really cozy with that Kagura person lately," he muttered.

"Kagura-kun?" she asked. She was obviously distracted with whatever she was writing. "What about him?"

Boruto's brows sank down, as he pursed his lips. _Kun_. _She was now using that honorific with him?_ "You guys are close?"

She smirked. "What? You're not?"

"No…"

Sarada flipped the page of her notebook and adjusted her glasses. She then opened her other book and leafed through until she found whatever information she was looking for.

"What's got you so sour?" she asked, looking up from her notebook.

He sat up straight and crossed his arms across his chest. "I don't like him. There's something off about him."

She raised her brow. "You just said you weren't close. Now you're saying you don't like him? How can you even deduce that if you don't know him?"

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I just don't. Actually, I don't like a lot of the guys you've been hanging out with lately."

She placed her pen down with a loud _thump_ and leaned back on her chair. She too, crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You were the one who told me to go and make friends. Now that I'm actually doing that, you're telling me to stop?"

"I'm not telling you to stop," he said defensively. "I just don't like the ones you've been hanging out with."

She raised her brows. "And I'm supposed to care that you don't like them because?"

That comment stung his heart. Of course she was supposed to care. They were friends, weren't they? His opinion should matter to her, right? "No one knows you like how I do, Sarada."

She shifted her gaze around, looking confused and irritated. "I don't see your point, Boruto."

Boruto scowled. Why was it so difficult to talk to her about this? One look, and that's all it usually took to reach an understanding with her. Now, he was using _actual words_ , and the point still couldn't come across. He looked away from her, and kept a stubborn expression on his face.

"Wait." A sly grin spread on her face. "Are you… jealous?"

He scoffed. "Of course not. Why would I be? _Don't be stupid_."

Her dark eyes widened. "If you're not, then why are you being so touchy about me and Kagura-kun dating?" She snapped.

Boruto whipped his head back to face her. He slammed his hands down on the coffee table. "You're _dating?"_ He repeated incredulously. "And you _didn't tell me?_ " He was practically shouting.

"It's not mandatory for me to tell you everything, Boruto," she deadpanned.

He gritted his teeth. Why was he so angry in the first place? He shouldn't care, right? It's not like he and Sarada were together or anything. This shouldn't matter to him. And yet, it irked him to no end.

"What's the big deal?" she asked. "I don't comment when you go on dates with other girls."

"That's not the point!" he roared.

Sarada jumped in her seat. She looked around the coffee shop, people were staring. Boruto was making a scene. "Shut up, you idiot. There are people here," she whispered furiously.

He growled and picked up his books. In his haste, he toppled his cup over. Sarada scrambled to pick up her notebook and books, in order not to get them wet. "What the hell, Boruto!" Luckily, nothing was damaged.

Boruto was seeing red. He packed up the last of his belongings and stormed out of Ninbucks, leaving Sarada sitting alone at the table with a cup of spilled coffee.

* * *

A/N: Heya! It's been a while. I promise I'll try to stick to posting two chapters a week. But if you're really impatient, you can high tail it to my tumblr (kairi-chan) since I post there sooner. ^^;

Jealous Boruto is jealous. lol. Tell me what you thought about this chapter by leaving a review? :)


	5. Nighttime and Bottles of Beer

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, neither do I encourage drinking to the point of no return.

Beta read by: Poodie

* * *

Boruto lay on his bed. He laced his hands behind his head, as he glared at the ceiling.

 _Dating him._ He thought. He could taste the poison in his mouth. He spat it out and rolled to his side to face the wall. His brows knitted together as he scowled and clawed at his chest. _What was this feeling? Why was he so angry in the first place?_ He kept thinking about all the times he saw Kagura and Sarada together, and it made his heart ache. But what really hurt him was the way she looked at him, her eyes were closed off and distant. As if he was some sort of stranger.

And it hurt because he knew it 'til his bones that he wasn't a stranger. He knew Sarada like the back of his hand. He's known her since they were born. She had always been within his reach whenever he needed her. But now, things were different. It was like being underwater. No matter how much he screamed her name, she wouldn't hear him. No matter how much he splashed, she wouldn't see him. And even if he drowned and disappeared… He took a fist full of his shirt and gripped it hard. He didn't even want to think that Sarada wouldn't care if he drifted away.

He shifted on his bed, and lay on his other side. He pushed back immediately when he realized Mitsuki's face was only four inches away. "What the fuck!" If his heart was dead, it was suddenly jolted back to life. Despite being brought back from the dead, he felt like he lost ten years of his life due to the shock.

Mitsuki had his usual, unsettling smile on his face. "What happened, Boruto? You're usually not this restless."

The blond sat up and pointed an accusing finger at his roommate. "Your face was far too close, ya know!"

Honestly. Mitsuki really needed to learn what the concept of personal space was. That one time Boruto tried to explain it to him by using a metaphorical bubble, Mitsuki simply smiled and claimed that bubbles were meant to be popped and broken. Times like that, Boruto thought Mitsuki just didn't give a fuck about what people thought. It was kind of endearing, actually. In a… weird and uniquely Mitsuki kind of way.

"Oh? But you wouldn't mind if Sarada was that close, would you?"

And of course, there was the teasing, too. He felt his cheeks flush. "Shut up!"

Mitsuki chuckled and sat on the edge of his bed, and waited. Boruto crossed his arms and pouted. He was not going to let his roommate stare him down. No way. He wasn't going to talk.

Boruto bristled under his scrutinising gaze. "Will you quit it? It's creepy when you do that, ya know?"

Mitsuki feigned hurt and pressed his palm to his chest. "I'm only being a concerned friend."

He rolled his eyes. Yeah. Sure. "Whatever. It's nothing important," he muttered. And it wasn't important. Not really. It was just a matter of losing one of his dearest friends to a pretty boy (who, by Boruto's standards, wasn't half as pretty as he was). No biggie.

His roommate nodded. "It must be if you're this agitated."

Boruto scowled and looked away. Why was this bastard so perceptive?

Mitsuki laughed. "It's so easy to read you, Boruto. Do you need to drink it out?"

He pouted and looked at the white wall, contemplating if Sarada was really worth destroying his bladder, and allowing himself to become a disgraceful mess because of her. There was the massive headache and hangover after, too. He chewed on his lower lip for a while and looked at his roommate as he mulled out the pros and cons. Suddenly, he sprang out of the bed and pulled his jacket on.

"Yeah, I know a bar near here."

* * *

Boruto chugged his nth bottle of beer and slammed it down on the bar counter. It was amazing the bottle (and the bar) didn't break. He let out a loud exhale and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"Another one!" He bellowed, with a wide grin on his face. His cheeks were flushed, and usually clear eyes were cloudy under the influence.

The bartender wordlessly took the empty bottle and popped a fresh one in front of the blond. Gingerly, Boruto held onto the bottle and smiled at it tenderly. "You'll tell me everything that's going on with you, right? You won't ditch me for a pretty boy, yes, you won't." He pressed the cold bottle to his cheek and rubbed it up and down like a precious puppy.

Mitsuki watched his roommate with an amused smile. It was always fun being with Boruto, but it was extra fun when he was drunk. Him being an affectionate drunk also made things more interesting for him. Well, he found it interesting. Apparently his other friends had other thoughts on the matter.

Shikadai took a drag and blew out slowly. "He's had too much."

"No shit," Inojin agreed, as he took a shot of tequila and sucked on a lemon. He made a face. "I knew Sarada would have this effect on him."

Mitsuki smiled until his eyes closed. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who knew. "Boruto always did have a soft spot for her."

Boruto was now lying down on the counter, muttering sweet nothings to his half full bottle of beer.

Shikadai smirked. "That's what you get when you hide your feelings for nine years."

Inojin absentmindedly placed rock salt on the space between the base of his thumb and his wrist. "Just nine?" He licked it all in one go, downed the shot, and bit on another lemon. "I thought he liked her since the day she was born."

Shikadai shrugged.

"I don't _like_ her," Boruto mumbled. "I _like_ like her."

Inojin's eyebrow twitched. "You've been hanging out with Chubs too often."

His golden eyes widened. He knew he was right. "He just confessed," Mitsuki said. "Shouldn't we record this?"

"Dude." There was a hint of warning in Inojin's voice. "We don't _drink_ and _tell_."

Shikadai nodded and added, "besides, even if you did and showed Sarada, she won't believe it. He's wasted."

"She won't believe me even if I told her while I was sober," Boruto said sadly. He then straightened up and wailed. "She doesn't even care about what I think! She thinks I'm an idiot!"

"So do we." Inojin snickered.

Mitsuki blinked. Inojin and Shikadai exchanged knowing looks. He was perplexed. Was there some sort of secret they shared that he didn't know about? Out of the four of them, he was the latest addition to their group of friends. He knew there were things Shikadai, Inojin and Boruto shared long ago that he was not apart of, despite being friends with Boruto and Sarada since they were twelve.

"Won't a simple confession fix this?" Mitsuki asked innocently. "If I can get them both to admit they like each other, things will fall into place, right?"

Inojin and Shikadai exchanged looks. The dark haired boy spoke first. He scratched the back of his neck. "It's not that easy, Mitsuki. You know, Sarada and Boruto have a complex relationship due to their families."

"They're close," he replied immediately. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Inojin laughed nervously. "Not as close as you would want them to be."

Mitsuki looked at Boruto. He was out cold on the counter. He then shifted his golden gaze to the two boys. He cocked his head to the side. He still didn't get it.

Shikadai sighed. "Think of it this way," he muttered. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

He felt affronted. His brows furrowed together and his lips twisted into a scowl. "Boruto and Sarada aren't enemies."

"Dude!" Inojin laughed. "They're rivals. They've been competing with each other since day one. Them falling in love with each other just makes it funnier."

"And more dramatic." Shikadai rolled his eyes. "Now it's even more troublesome since Kagura joined the picture."

He shook his head. "I still don't get it," Mitsuki said as his light eyebrows furrowed together. "Aren't Sasuke-san and Naruto-san close? They're like brothers."

Inojin and Shikadai gave each other sideways glances. Yeah. There was definitely something they were keeping from him. He stood up from his stool and wrapped Boruto's arm around his neck. He placed a hand on his waist and hauled him up to his feet. "I think you two should have a little more faith in Boruto and Sarada's bond."

* * *

A/N: Mitsuki is my absolute favorite little baby. Inojin is a close second. lol.

What do you think of drunk Boruto? lol. Let me know by leaving me a review? I will have another chapter up over the weekend!


	6. Sunsets and Ninbucks Frappes

A/N: Quite a lengthy chapter compared to the others! Hope you enjoy!

Beta read by: Poodie

* * *

Sarada sat by herself at one of the stone tables under the old oak trees outside the law building. It was rare for her to be able to enjoy a whole table to herself, especially not during mid morning, so she took advantage of the space. She lay out all of her notes and books on the table, and sat smack in the middle, hoping people would get the message that she did not want to be disturbed, and no, she wasn't willing to share. She even made it look like she was probably with other people by placing her belongings people-sitting distance apart.

It wasn't that she was selfish. Hell no. She just... so desperately wanted to be alone. Despite being alone for a whole week ever since the whole Boruto thing in Ninbucks last week. She bit her lower lip and pushed her glasses back up. She opened up an empty page on her notebook and poised her pen to write... write what? She had nothing due tomorrow and all the papers due the following week were already finished. She had never been more productive, or gotten that much work done in her whole life. Now that it was all done, there was nothing left for her to do.

"Sarada-sama!"

Sarada jumped and snapped her eyes up to the voice. She froze and let her gaze settle on his kind smile and trailed down to his torso. He was wearing a varsity jacket. She felt a smile slowly creep its way up her lips. Upon realizing the suffix he paired her name with, she rolled her eyes. "I told you to stop calling me that, _senpai_."

She knew that would tick him off. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation. He obviously just loved to tease her, too, as she already established he could call her by her first name. It wasn't like they were strangers to each other, anyway.

He laughed nervously as he sat down in front of her. "Hey, that's not fair. You know I don't like being called senpai." He looked at her straight into her dark eyes, and Sarada swore he was practically staring into her heart, and searching for all her secrets. He smiled sincerely. "Not by you anyway."

Ah. There it was. His perilous charms paired with her traitorous feelings were not a good match. Damn, was the sun too high or was it getting too hot in here?

He must have taken her stunned silence as his cue to go on. He looked away and scratched his cheek lightly. Oh Kami. He looked even cuter when he was blushing. "You can call me Kagura."

Thankfully, Sarada snapped out of her daze. "Kagura-kun," she said slowly.

He grinned, obviously appreciating the added suffix. His smile was infectious.

"Please call me Sarada," she offered.

"Sarada-chan?" Yes. He asked with a question mark in the end.

She never knew he was this shy. She nodded.

Kagura propped his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his palms. He leaned in a little closer to her across the table. "Are you busy later, Sarada-chan?"

Sarada instinctively grabbed her planner and opened it up before she even realized what she was doing.

Kagura laughed. "You're so organized!"

She pursed her lips and closed her planner. She never even got the chance to look at the red words written in a handwriting that wasn't her own. _"Study Wednesdate"_

She pushed her glasses back up and said, "I don't think I have anything planned. Did you want to talk about something?"

Kagura blinked and rubbed his knee. "Nothing really..." he straightened his posture and said shyly, "I was just hoping you would want to have dinner with me? We could grab some cake and coffee after." He grinned and added jokingly, "we could even study afterwards, if you like."

Where did she hear this kind of invitation before? Before she could even think about it further, she felt his gaze on her again. It was so gentle and sincere, yet it was also filled with some sort of intensity. Like he finally found what he was searching for, and he needed it. _Now_.

Before she could even think about it, "sure, that sounds fun."

His face filled with so much joy it just made Sarada's heart melt. Kami. It should have been illegal to be this cute. The way his eyes lit up sent her stomach spiralling into hopeless tangles.

"Sounds good." He was already standing, and looked like he was going to dart away but managed to say before leaving, "I'll pick you up at seven!"

Where did Sarada hear that line before?

* * *

Sarada was busy texting her roommate on her phone, telling her that Kagura had asked her out to dinner again. She had been receiving a lot of invitations to dinners and dates, but she never really agreed to any of them, until Kagura came around and asked her out a few weeks back. They've been hanging out ever since. She was steeped in composing her next message when the barista called out to her.

"Hi Sarada! You're early today."

She snapped her gaze up and asked, "early?"

The barista with messy brown hair and braced teeth gave her a toothy grin. "Sure. You usually get here at like, eight or so with Boruto."

"Boruto?" She echoed. Sarada looked over her shoulder, as if expecting he would be there. But he wasn't. She was the only one in line at Ninbucks. It was only four in the afternoon, and classes were still on going.

Sensing she was a little distracted, the barista changed the topic. "Anyway, will you have your usual?"

Sarada just stood there. Right. It was Wednesday today. Every Wednesday, Boruto would pick her up from her dorm at seven to have dinner, and study at Ninbucks. She casted a tentative look at the table they sat at last week. There was a couple sitting there and chatting over cups of coffee and slices of cake. She bit her lower lip.

"Sarada?" The barista called her attention again.

She looked at him and apologized. "I'll have a grande of the sweetest frappe on your menu."

* * *

Mitsuki wandered around the campus in search of his friend. He checked the library, her dorm, and even Ninbucks. But he still couldn't find her. There was one last place he decided to check. Gingerly, he opened the door to the Law Building's rooftop. At the edge, he saw a slim figure sitting and watching the sunset. There was a Caramel Frappe sitting next to her.

"I knew I would find you here," he said.

She looked back, her dark eyes were glazed over with melancholy.

He eyed her drink. "Rough day?" Mitsuki asked as he took a seat next to her. "I heard what happened at Ninbucks last week with Boruto."

Sarada looked away, hiding her face from him. Mitsuki stayed quiet for a while. He gazed at the sunset, and waited for Sarada to feel comfortable enough to talk to him.

"Is it…" she started slowly. "Is it so unbelievable that I could be dating someone?"

Mitsuki gave her a sideward glance before shifting back to the sunset. "I don't think so. Do you think it is?"

She smirked. "I don't think I fall under the type who does."

Mitsuki smiled until his eyes closed. He turned to face her. "Why are you dating Kagura-san in the first place?"

Sarada raised her brow.

"It's just a question."

She sighed. Mitsuki was confident she wouldn't lie. It wasn't like her. "He asked."

"That's it?" Was that really it? Was it that simple?

Sarada nodded.

He didn't believe her one bit. "So if I were to ask you on a date, you would say yes?" he asked casually.

She stiffened. He laughed at her reaction. "Just a question. I'm just curious why you're dating him."

She looked down at her lap, and fidgeted with her fingers. "Well... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to him," she whispered. Her cheeks were tinted pink.

Mitsuki nodded. Boruto was not going to like that piece of information. "I see. So you _do_ like him?"

"Well," Sarada bit her lower lip and looked at the sunset. "There's something about the way he looks at me. It makes me feel like… like I'm actually worth his time."

Mitsuki's golden eyes widened. He blinked a few times. Sarada was a confident person. He never thought that she would have this sort of insecurity. Did she really think that she wasn't worth someone's time and affections?

"They way he looks at you," he repeated. "And it's different from the way Boruto and I look at you?"

She laughed. "Of course it is, Mitsuki." She looked at him, barely containing her giggles. "You don't look at me like you _want me_ , right?" Sarada picked up her drink and took a sip.

He smiled until his eyes closed. Aha. So that's what she was talking about. "No, but I think Boruto does."

Sarada choked on her frappe.

Mitsuki continued, "don't you agree?"

She gasped for air. Her face was now a darker shade of pink. "Boruto and I…" she trailed off, trying to collect her thoughts. "We have a special bond. There's a look he gives me. One that makes me feel like he's looking into the depths of my heart and soul." She bit her lower lip and looked at Mitsuki. "We don't even need to say anything to understand. We just get each other, you know?"

Mitsuki nodded. "I do know. Your teamwork is impeccable." This made her smile. The sun had completely set now. "Why not date Boruto, though?"

She lifted her eyebrow. "Boruto and I aren't like that," she said. Sarada gazed at the sunset, as it slowly kissed the horizon goodnight. "He's popular. A lot of girls like him."

"Kagura-san is popular," Mitsuki said. "And you are, too. I see a lot of guys following you around."

She chuckled nervously. "You know what I mean, Mitsuki."

And he did understand. Well, maybe not really. But he decided to change the topic. Right down to business. "Does Kagura-san stand a chance?"

"What?" Sarada was finishing up her drink.

"Does he really have a chance with you?" He repeated. "Do you think you'll end up _like_ liking him?"

She stopped sipping and looked up to the sky. The stars were slowly starting to show. "I don't know. Maybe? I mean, we're not together. We're just dating." She chuckled lightly. "Isn't that the point of dating? To know if you do like the person or not?"

"If you put it that way," he replied. Mitsuki tried to push his luck in further. "You two aren't dating exclusively, are you?"

She looked thoughtful for a while. After a few minutes, Sarada shook her head and said tentatively, "I think it's really casual."

"Ah," he said and nodded. This gave him hope for his best friend. "So if someone were to ask you out, it would be fine for you to date him?"

Sarada laughed. "If you're trying to ask me out again, that's a no."

"Not me," Mitsuki said. "Boruto."

She bristled. "Why does he keep coming up in this conversation?"

Mitsuki cocked his head to the side. "He's our friend. Don't you think it's normal that he does?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you're here to tell me to apologize to him, it's not happening."

Mitsuki chuckled. "I didn't think you would. Don't worry. I'm not here to do that."

Sarada got up and dusted herself off. Mitsuki did the same. "Then why are you here?"

"I just wanted to check on you. I noticed you two weren't talking." Read: it was really starting to make him anxious that they had been avoiding each other. It was also hard to determine how to behave whenever he was with the two. Their close circle of friends already noticed. If their wider group of friends caught wind that something had happened, it would be total and utter chaos.

She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm still not apologizing."

Mitsuki nodded. "Of course not. Besides, I'm sure Boruto will be the first to give in."

She smirked. "He better be."

* * *

A/N: Kagura is such a pretty boy and I love him. Mitsuki is as cute, as always. hahaha! What do you think is going on in Sarada's head? Let me know by leaving a review, please? :)


	7. Past and Present Dates

I don't own Naruto.

Beta-read by: Poodie

* * *

Sarada sat on the bench outside of her dorm's building. The air was cool, and a light breeze blew through her dark hair. She clutched on to her phone tightly, and chewed on her lower lip. She was gazing at nothing in particular, although if one were to pass her by, one would think that she was having a staring contest with the water fountain across the lot.

After dinner with the Uzumakis, she didn't ride home with Boruto. Instead, her parents insisted that she come home for the night. It made her nervous. The ride going home was silent, and the air was heavy. Her mother tried to make things a little lighter, though.

" _It's always nice to see Naruto and his family, isn't it, darling?" Her tone was warm and sincere._

 _Sasuke stayed silent for as he drove. He simply grunted in reply._

" _How are you, sweetheart?" Sakura turned back to face her daughter._

" _I'm okay, Mama. I'm still top of my class," she added the last sentence hastily. Although she knew her mother didn't care about that, Sarada still felt like she needed to confirm it._

 _Sakura smiled at her. "Have you made new friends?"_

 _Sarada nodded._

* * *

 _That night, her father and grandfather spoke in Sasuke's study. It was quiet, and Sarada knew what they were talking about. She thought it was best she went to bed early, in order to avoid speaking with her father, and hearing what they talked about. She got herself ready to sleep, when her uncle entered her room._

" _Sarada," he drawled._

" _Uncle Itachi." She smiled kindly as she pulled the comforter until her waist. "You're sleeping over here?"_

 _He shook his head and sat at the edge of her bed. "I wish I can, but I have practice early tomorrow."_

 _She nodded and looked down at her hands. She clutched the sheets tightly._

" _Sarada," he called for her to look at him, but she did not. "Whatever father says, know he has your best interest at heart." He spoke with an even and measured tone. As if there was a metronome he was following._

 _She felt her lips twist. "Papa will force me to follow him."_

 _Itachi shook his head and lifted her chin so he could look into her dark eyes. It was scary how she seemed to have inherited it directly from him. "My foolish little brother loves you with all his heart," his lips quirked up by the tiniest bit as he continued, "he will never force anything on you. He trusts your judgement."_

 _True enough, Sasuke did talk to her that night. And he didn't tell her what to do, too._

" _Your grandfather said he's a bad influence, and he would like for you to surround yourself with better company," Sasuke explained calmly. "Someone who takes his studies seriously, and doesn't take his future lightly."_

 _Sarada pursed her lips. She loved her family, and did everything she could in order not to disappoint them. But this was too much. "Uncle Naruto was worse when he was younger, wasn't he?" She asked. "And look where he is now."_

 _Sasuke smirked and squeezed her hand. "I trust you, Sarada." Slowly, he turned his gaze to her door. She followed suit, and found her mother approaching them._

 _Her father stood up. Her mother kissed her forehead. Sarada closed her eyes and relished the warmth and reassurance her mother's kiss bestowed. Sarada smiled. She loved her parents so much. She wasn't going to disappoint them._

 _Sasuke held on to Sakura's hand as they bid their daughter goodnight._

* * *

"Sarada-chan! You're early."

Slowly, she drifted back to her present reality. Sarada looked at him. "Kagura-kun." She stood up and faced him. "Where are we going for dinner?"

He beamed. "Is there anything you're craving for in particular? I have three places in mind that you can choose from."

Sarada smiled. She always did like a man with a plan.

Dinner with Kagura was pleasant, and a fair amount of fun. He made her laugh, and kept her engaged in conversation the entire night. After having a light dinner, they both headed to one of Kagura's favorite coffee shops. It was small, and quite far from campus, but it didn't really matter. The cake was delicious and the hot chocolate Sarada ordered was divine. She made a mental note to take Chocho there.

It was getting late, so Kagura drove her back to her dorm. He even walked her all the way up to her door. "Thanks for going out with me, Sarada-chan." He grinned. "I had a lot of fun!"

She returned his smile, although with a little less enthusiasm. Sarada did have fun tonight. She enjoyed the food, and his company. But something still felt wrong. She felt her stomach twist, thinking that the person she should have spent her evening with wasn't Kagura.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

Sarada shook her head. "No, nothing! I had a lot of fun, too. I'm probably just tired."

Kagura nodded and smiled again. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded. Before she could say anything, she felt his arms encircle her body as he pulled her in for a warm hug. Her body stiffened. It's not that she didn't want to hug him, she was just… stunned.

Kagura must have sensed her discomfort. He released her from his hug. He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. Was it too soon?"

Sarada shook her head frantically and waved her hands in front of him. "No! I'm sorry, I just… I didn't expect you to hug me."

Kagura laughed awkwardly, but he stopped when she opened up her arms to him. "Can we try again?" Her cheeks were tinted pink. She looked away from him, looking as adorable as ever.

He grinned and gave her another hug. This time, Sarada reciprocated and held him close. She inhaled his scent, and relished in the sudden feeling of comfort he gave her. She closed her eyes, released a shaky breath, and melted into his embrace.

She could definitely get used to this.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I like KaguSara. Will this story have more of it? Yes. Why is this tagged as BoruSara, then? _Because it is a BoruSara story._

Just sit back, grab some popcorn, and wait for it to unfold. hehe.

What do you think Sarada's up to? What's Kagura up to? Let me know by leaving me a review! :) Next chapter will be up this weekend.


	8. Contemplation

I'm terribly sorry for the inactivity, but I hope you like this chapter! :)

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Mitsuki opened the door to his dorm and walked in.

Boruto sat up on his bed. "Where the hell have you been?"

"It's nice to see you too, Boruto." He smiled as he placed the plastic bags on the table. "I got us dinner." He fished out two burgers and handed one to his roommate.

"Awesome. Thanks!" Boruto grinned.

"Have you talked to Sarada yet?"

Boruto winced. It was so like Mitsuki to cut the bullshit and go right to the point. "Uh… No. Why should I?"

"Because Sarada is attracted to Kagura-san, and you could lose your chance with her," he replied casually as he took a bite of his burger.

The blond's lips pressed into a fine line. He didn't know what to make of that sentence. There were so many words that didn't belong together in a sentence right there. "You talked to her?"

Mitsuki nodded. "What? Am I now part of the list of guys you don't want around her?" he joked. "If so, you don't need to worry. She won't go out on a date with me."

Boruto released a strangled yelp. "You asked her out?!" It was one thing to lose your best friend to a guy you didn't like, but it was a completely different story when your other best friend asked said best friend out. He shook his head to clear it. Did that thought even make sense?

Mitsuki nodded solemnly. "She rejected me twice, so I think this means you still have a chance."

Boruto sweat dropped. "I don't think that's how it really works, Mitsuki."

He blinked a few times before fishing out the french fries in the bag. "Have you been listening to me, Boruto? I said Sarada's _attracted_ to Kagura-san."

There was no avoiding it. Mitsuki was the type to not let shit pass by so easily. His bluntness just made things all the more awkward and uncomfortable for Boruto but then again, this was one of the reasons why he appreciated having him around. Mitsuki was the kind of guy who could make you realize a lot of things, ya know?

Boruto placed the burger down and contemplated on that sentence again. _Sarada's attracted to Kagura._ Was it _really_ weird, and out of the ordinary? Was it really _so_ surprising? His eyebrows furrowed together and he chewed on his bottom lip.

Kagura Karatachi was a popular guy. Good looks. Good grades. Part of Konoha U's Fencing Team. Hailed from a prominent family in Law. What was not to like? _Nothing_. It made perfect sense to Boruto why Sarada would be attracted to him, and yet, he still couldn't figure it out.

Why _him?_ Why not _me?_

That last thought made him cringe. What was he _thinking?_

"What _are_ you thinking, Boruto?"

The blond jumped. "Ah! N-nothing. It's just—ah dammit!" He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Why should I even care?" He asked no one in particular. He felt so frustrated and betrayed, and he couldn't even understand _why._

"Because you _like_ like her," Mitsuki supplied.

"WHAT?!" Boruto shouted. "Who _the fuck_ said that?" He looked ready to tear his hair out. Seriously. Who was the fucker spreading all these lies?

Mitsuki smiled until his eyes closed. "You did."

Boruto choked. Well, it looks like _he_ was the fucker who did. "I—I did?"

"You're an affectionate drunk, and quite honest, too. Did you know that?"

He sweat dropped. He did recall something of the sort being said to him by Shikadai and Inojin. Those bastards always kept his secrets, but that doesn't mean that they didn't like to torture him with the truths and words he would spew while he was under the influence.

"I did hear someone say that to me before," he mumbled.

"So?"

"So _what_?"

Mitsuki sighed. "Aren't you going to confess to Sarada?"

Now he really wanted to tear his hair out. "No way!"

"Why not?"

"You just said she likes someone else," Boruto pressed.

"I don't see your point."

Boruto ran his fingers through his hair and wiped his face down.

"She likes you, too."

It was really frustrating talking to Mitsuki sometimes. How was he even so sure? "Never mind. I lost my appetite." He shrugged his jacket on and made his way out of their dorm.

"Where are you going?"

"Going out to think."

* * *

Boruto sulked a little more; Hands in his pockets as he walked around campus. There were barely any people out this late. As he passed by the small park, he noticed someone jogging around. It didn't take him long to figure out who it was.

Her long dark hair was swept up in a ponytail, and she wasn't wearing her glasses. His feet automatically pointed in her direction, and before he knew it, he was walking towards her.

Sarada stopped running and pulled her earphones off, looking right back at him with an unreadable expression on her face. That was when Boruto stopped.

He was too far for her to hear anything he would have to say. She never went for a run this late, not unless something was troubling her. He opened his mouth, ready to ask her if she was alright. He wanted to know what was wrong but he closed his mouth and averted his gaze. Slowly, he turned around and left the park.

What was the point in talking to her now? He had never felt so far away and disconnected from her than he did at that very moment. With every step he took, he felt the distance growing between them.

There was nothing left for him to contemplate. He was already sure things were going to go south from here.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read, faved, followed, and reviewed this fic so far. I enjoy reading your thoughts, as well as your guesses for what will happen next! hehe. I hope you will indulge me and leave your thoughts in the reviews. :)

Have an awesome week ahead!

~Kairi


	9. Awkward AF

A/N: Look who remembered to update. lol.

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It had been a little over three weeks since their little Ninbucks spat and things were getting awkward as fuck within their group of friends. Shikadai was the first to notice, but he had enough tact to shut up about it. Wasabi, Namida, and Denki were far too non-confrontational to say anything about the matter. However, Chocho and Inojin were outspoken about the issue, and called out all the bullshit as they saw fit. Read: _always._

"Can you two just kiss and make up?" Inojin complained. "We can't even have a peaceful lunch together without the two of you clouding the place over with your horrible auras."

Chocho nodded and took a bite of her pasta. "The tension is nearly enough to make me lose my appetite."

Even if Sarada and Boruto were sitting at opposite ends of the table, the dark cloud of doom that hovered over them was far too palpable. They didn't even need to have eye contact in order to shoot lightning at each other. Sarada kept her mouth shut. Her posture was straight, and rigid. Boruto on the other hand was sitting at the edge of his seat. Like his namesake, he looked ready to bolt at any moment.

Mitsuki sat next to Boruto, and looked over at Sarada at the other side. Neither of them spoke. "What are you going to do, Boruto?" He asked quietly.

The blond looked up and gave him a questioning look. Mitsuki nudged his head over to Sarada's side of the table. "Looks like we have company."

Boruto glared. Kagura was walking towards their table. He made a beeline to Sarada, and she stood up and smiled. Everyone at their table silently watched the pair.

Slowly, Sarada turned to face everyone. "Ah, everyone, this is Kagura. He's my—"

"—boyfriend," he finished. He gave everyone warm smile and waved. "It's nice to meet—"

He was interrupted when Boruto abruptly stood up, and his seat screeched loudly on the floor. His face was hard as he glared at him. Boruto briefly looked at Sarada, with a tinge of hurt in his deep, blue eyes. He turned away and left the restaurant with a huff.

All of their friends stared at Boruto's vacant seat. Mitsuki calmly stood up and smiled at Kagura. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagura-san. I'm Mitsuki. Please excuse Boruto."

"A-ah. Sure," Kagura said, looking slightly stunned.

* * *

Mitsuki found his blond friend sitting under a tree, where he sulked and picked on the blades of grass near him. His lips were moving slightly. Boruto always did have the habit of muttering unintelligible things to himself whenever he was upset.

He sat next to him, and waited. Mitsuki knew Boruto would just turn him away if he started asking questions right away. Seeing as how irritated his friend looked, he was going to talk soon, anyway.

" _Boyfriend_ ," Boruto spat out.

 _Ah. There it was._ He knew this was going to happen. "I thought you said you didn't care?"

"Heh! Of course I don't!" He exclaimed. Boruto wore a sour expression on his face and crossed his arms across his chest. "Who cares if Sarada has a boyfriend?"

"Obviously not you," Mitsuki replied.

"Correct!" Boruto's voice was rising. "I mean, he's not even _that_ great, _or_ good looking."

Mitsuki nodded, a small smile on his face. "Right. And you have all the information and first hand experience to back this claim up."

"Yeah—HEY!" Boruto glared at him, which made the blue haired boy laugh. "You're not helping, ya know?"

Mitsuki laughed a little more before saying, "I guess not but I will now. Stop lying to yourself, Boruto. You know you care about Sarada."

The blond pouted and leaned back on the tree. "What good would that even do?"

"The sooner you acknowledge your feelings, the better you'll feel about yourself and start to accept how things are changing."

Boruto gave Mitsuki the stink eye. "I thought you wanted me to confess? Now you're telling me to just accept the fact that _Sarada and Kagura are together only after a few weeks of knowing each other_?" He flailed his arms around in the air.

Mitsuki simply smiled until his eyes closed. "You and Sarada have known each other since you were babies and you're _still not_ together. Perhaps the years of being acquainted has no bearing with being in a relationship. But the again, just because you've known each other for so long doesn't mean you care, _right_?"

The blond looked like he was struck by lightning. He hung his head, and slumped his shoulders. "Okay, fine. Maybe I _do_ care."

He grinned. "I'm so glad you finally admitted it, Boruto. Now, we can move to the next step."

"I'm not confessing!" Boruto shouted, his cheeks were red.

"I didn't think you would." Mitsuki smiled. "I was hoping you could at least apologize and start talking to Sarada again."

Boruto gaped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally found his voice again. "Me? _Apologize_?"

"Yes. You raised your voice first," Mitsuki stated, matter-of-factly.

Boruto had never looked, or felt so betrayed in his entire life. Well, maybe he did when Sarada told him she and Kagura were dating. But that was beside the point. " _What the fuck?_ "

Mitsuki chuckled and stood up. "I won't force you to, of course. It's your choice. I just think it's better for all of us if you do, don't you think?"

The blond pouted. "Why do I always have to be the one to apologize? It's not fair, ya know?"

"I believe you two take turns," Mitsuki said, as he dusted himself off. "You're just hyper aware of the times you apologize. Therefore—"

"Okay, okay. I get it!" Boruto whined. He let out a loud sigh. "Can I take my time though?"

His friend smiled, and then nodded. "You can take your time until before the weekend."

Boruto grimaced. "It's already Thursday!"

" _Exactly._ "

* * *

A/N: Big thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far. I hope you're all enjoying. ^^ Please do leave me a review. They make me happy. :3

Have a great weekend~


	10. Punch Some Sense Into You

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Sarada and Boruto were sitting next to each other on a bench. Their arms were crossed in front of their chests, looking away from each other, stubborn expressions plastered on their faces.

"You two haven't been talking for weeks, and you're making it hella awkward for all of us," Inojin chided. "Can't you two just have sex and get over it?"

The two stiffened, and turned red. "That's not happening!" They both yelled in unison.

Shikadai smirked. "Nice to know you two are still in sync. But seriously. This is such a drag. What's gotten into you two?"

Boruto scowled. "It's nothing. Can't you guys just leave us alone?"

"Hn. What the idiot said," Sarada agreed.

The trio pouted and exchanged looks. Before they could do anything drastic, Mitsuki decided to step in. "Maybe we should let them work this out on their own."

The trio snapped their gazes to him, looking at him like he had grown an extra head.

He smiled until his eyes closed. "Boruto and Sarada have a strong bond. I'm sure they can work this out. If they needed our help, they would have asked for it, right, Boruto?"

Boruto blinked. His best friend really saved him there. "Uh... Yeah. Yeah!" He laced his fingers behind his head and grinned. "Sarada and I can sort it out."

She looked at Mitsuki thankfully and smiled. "We appreciate it, but can you guys give us a minute?"

Chocho stared at Sarada before gracefully turning heel and pushing Inojin and Shikadai away. "Fine. We'll be at the other side."

Mitsuki followed suit and waved at Sarada and Boruto. The three of them settled at the bench right across from the two, but they were too far to hear anything. For the longest time, they just sat there.

"This is boring," Inojin complained. "They're not even talking!"

Shikadai yawned. "Do we really have to sit here and watch? This is such a drag."

Mitsuki only blinked, but all of a sudden, Sarada and Boruto were standing up. Sarada was poised to punch the living daylights out of Boruto. He stood a few feet away, his arms up in a placating manner.

"What's going on?" Chocho gasped.

Shikadai blinked in disbelief. "Is Sarada going to—"

Sarada punched Boruto, which sent him falling back on the ground.

"Oh shit," Inojin cussed.

"Should we stop her?" Chocho asked in slight panic.

Mitsuki shook his head and calmly said, "I think it's going well." He smiled.

Shikadai looked at Mitsuki as if he said the sky was green.

Sarada straddled Boruto and, it looked like she wasn't going to hold back. Her fist was held up, poised for another hit. Boruto crossed his arms in front of his face, shouting something they couldn't hear.

"Dude. Sarada can pack a punch," Inojin said. He sounded genuinely worried. "Boruto's a _goner_."

Sarada straightened up. She stood up and looked away from Boruto. The blond was shouting again, pointing at her and screaming bloody murder.

"What _the fuck_ is going on?" Shikadai asked. He was a genius, but even he couldn't think of what's going on between those two.

Sarada laughed and offered her hand to Boruto to help him up. He took it and dusted himself off. Now he was laughing, too.

Mitsuki smiled. "See?" He said to the trio. "I told you it was going well."

Inojin whispered to Shikadai, "I don't know who's the crazy one here. Mitsuki or those two."

Shikadai shrugged.

"Guys!" Boruto was shouting at them. "We're heading out for burgers, want to come?"

Mitsuki smiled and started walking towards Sarada and Boruto. "Count me in."

* * *

A/N: It isn't obvious that I love using dialogue in stories, right? lol.

We're transitioning into something big, fam. What do you think's gonna happen next? Favorite part so far? Hold on for the next chapter. It's my favorite one in the entire fic so far. ^^

Please do leave me a review!


	11. Anything For You

**I don't own Naruto.**

Beta read by: SandSana

* * *

"Where is Sarada?" Chocho held on to Boruto's jacket and shook him. "I can't find her anywhere."

"The hell would I know?" The blond grimaced and pried his friend off of him. "Maybe she's with Kagura or something."

"She isn't! And she isn't replying to my calls!" Chocho puffed her cheeks. "He was the first person I checked with."

Boruto rolled his eyes. "Then why would you look for her from me? If Kagura doesn't know, then why should I?"

She looked at him as if he was the dumbest person in the world. "If Kagura and I don't, you're the only person bound to know where she is."

He scowled and ran through all the possible locations Sarada could be at with Chocho. The girl replied that she had already checked those places. After a while, Kagura joined him and Chocho, only to confirm that she wasn't at their usual spots.

Boruto scowled. "Do I really have to do everything here?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned his back to the two and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Chocho asked, annoyed. "We still haven't found her yet!"

The blond smirked and looked back. "Stop worrying. I'll find her." There was only one place left where they didn't check. And that place was a secret location for the two of them.

He weaved his way through the deepest part of the university's main library. Unbeknownst to most, there are small pockets of tables and study areas in the history section. The History majors were usually the ones who hung out there, but since the course was so small, there were barely any people in the area at any time.

Boruto smirked when he found her. "I knew it," he muttered to himself.

Sarada's arms were folded on the table, and her head rested on them. She was asleep. Her notebooks and books were scattered around the table, and her glasses were resting next to her pencil case. Her phone must have been inside her bag, on the floor. Boruto quietly took a seat next to her and watched her for a while.

" _She hasn't changed one bit,"_ he thought. Sarada would usually disappear from time to time and make Chocho panic. Boruto knew she hadn't told her about this spot in the library. He shrugged off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. He then proceeded to fixing up her belongings so they could leave the moment she woke up.

His hand hovered over her planner for a second before he slowly picked it up and flipped open to a random page. He then got a pen from her pencil case and started to write away. It always irritated Sarada whenever she would catch him writing in her planner, and those reactions were what made Boruto's day.

 _Me without you is like a nerd without braces, you without your glasses, asentencewithoutspaces_

He smirked and felt proud of himself for altering that pickup line by the tiniest bit. He knew Sarada loved a good pickup line, even if she would never admit it. Boruto flipped to another page and wrote down another.

 _You wanna know what's beautiful? Read the first word again._

Boruto snickered and flipped the page again, he lifted his hand to write another but stopped himself when he saw something written in Sarada's handwriting: _dinner with Kagura-kun at 6pm._

The bright smile faded from his lips.

" _What am I doing?"_ he thought. " _Sarada has a boyfriend now."_

As much as he hated to admit it, things weren't the same. Although, he liked to delude himself that they were. Since they patched things up last week, they had been hanging out again with each other and their other friends. They would study together, sit together in class, partner up or always be in the same group for class assignments. It felt like things were finally falling back into place.

He looked at the words etched on the paper again and Boruto realized he had only been fooling himself. Things weren't the same, and they will only continue to change. He can't do a lot of the things he used to with Sarada, and he had to establish boundaries with _her — out of respect for Kagura._ He gritted his teeth and gripped the pen a little harder than necessary. He thought about all of the things he couldn't do with her anymore. No more _Study Wednesdates_. No more randomly coming to her balcony at night. No more hugging and other kinds of shows of physical affection. Fuck it. Basically just everything he liked doing with her. Boruto ground his teeth together before he tossed the pen back into Sarada's pencil case. A little more pressure and he would have snapped it in half.

Slowly, he looked over to her sleeping form and frowned. He closed her planner and stacked it on top of her other books.

He took a deep breath, leaned back on the chair, and sighed it all out through his mouth. He threw his head back and looked at the ceiling, as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Seems like you're thinking pretty hard over there," Sarada's sleepy voice cut through his thoughts. "That's quite rare for you." She smiled a bit and stretched out her arms in front of her like a cat, releasing a soft, purr like moan from her throat.

Boruto gulped and looked away. "Yeah, well, people have been looking for you and I was thinking of a way how to get a tracker on you, ya know?"

"Really?" She shrugged Boruto's jacket on and folded her arms back on the table and laid down. "And you're the only one who knows I'm here?"

Boruto blushed. She was wearing his jacket. " _Yeah, that's something we can't do anymore, either,"_ he thought. " _Kami, she looks so cute without her glasses on, too."_

The blond looked at her and forced a smiled. "Yeah," he replied quietly before he broke into a wide, more genuine grin. "I promised to keep this place a secret, right?"

Sarada closed her eyes as she smiled at him in thanks. She took her glasses and placed them on before sitting up and stretching again. "That was a good nap," she muttered to herself.

Boruto smirked. "Seems like it. You're in such a good mood that you're actually being nice to me."

Now it was her turn to smirk. "Don't get used to it."

They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes as Sarada fixed her books into her bag. "Hey Boruto," she started.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

 _Silence._

He knew what she was thanking him for, and it hurt his heart to make him think she needed to thank him.

"No need. There's nothing to thank me for," he responded.

Sarada shook her head and looked at him. "You're right. But I want to." She placed a hand on his arm and smiled. "I'm happy we're friends again."

Boruto held on to her hand and faced her, his blue eyes were filled with resolve. "We'll always be friends, Sarada."

As much as it hurt him to think that that was all they were to her, it hurt him more to imagine that that was all they could ever be. The way she looked and grinned at him unraveled his entire being. He knew that no matter how hard it would hurt, he would never keep himself away from her. Even if he had to watch her love someone else up close.

He stood up and stretched to hide his inner turmoil. "We should go, ya know? Chocho and Kagura are worried sick."

"Kagura-kun?" she asked. Her dark eyes were wide and questioning. She then fished her phone out of her bag and sighed when she saw all the missed calls and texts. She smirked. "They're worse than Mama."

"Yeah, well," Boruto pouted, "tell them not to bother me next time when they can't find you."

She looked at him and asked, "They asked you to look for me?"

He snapped his gaze towards her, "More like they demanded I pull you out of my back pocket."

She broke out in a fit of giggles, which sent his heart fluttering and face turning red.

"Pull me out of your back pocket?" she repeated, in between giggles. "That sounds comfy."

The blond scowled and snatched her bag away, effectively carrying it for her. "Yeah, whatever. Can we go now? I actually have a test to study for tomorrow."

Sarada calmed down and walked beside him. "And you're studying now?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I used to not study to spite you, ya know?" Although his voice dripped with sarcasm, he knew deep down one reason he didn't like to study on his own was because it was so much better studying with Sarada.

She lifted a dark brow and smiled slyly, "Oh, did you?"

He winked at her and laughed, she joined in, too. Once they both stopped, the walked through campus together in comfortable silence. They had no real destination to go to.

Her voice was a little hesitant. "Boruto."

"Hm?"

"Could you…" her voice wavered, and so she bit her lower lip. "Do you think you and Kagura-kun could be friends?"

The blond stopped walking. "Why would you ask me that?"

Sarada had stopped walking too, but refused to meet his gaze. "You two just have so much in common. I think you two will be really good friends." She looked at him and smiled until her eyes closed.

Boruto swallowed and felt her words stab his heart with a knife and twist it to the side. She was evil. Why would she say something like that? How could she say something like that and expect it _not to hurt_?

"I…" he started. The blond opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally formed a coherent sentence. "I don't even know the guy."

Sarada scoffed. "I know that." She looked away again. "But would you give being friends with him a try?" She looked over her shoulder and gave him a warm and sincere smile.

' _No.'_ Was what he wanted to say. But how could he say that when she was asking so sincerely.

"Of course I would."

' _Anything for you,'_ was what Boruto really wanted to say.

* * *

A/N: This is my favorite chapter out of all the IGY chapters so far. It's so full of hurt... just how I like it. lol!

What did you think of this chapter? Too much hurt? ^^;

Have a great weekend ahead!

~ Kairi


	12. Reason For Jealousy

A/N: I really need to keep up with my weekly posting schedule. I'm sorry! I usually update first on Tumblr, so if you want to read more of this fic, you can hop on over there. My username is kairi-chan over there.

Beta read by: SandsAna

* * *

"Aww man! I lost again!" Boruto exclaimed as he threw his cards down on the dinner table in frustration. He turned his head over to his newest friend. "How can you be so good at this?"

Kagura simply smiled and said, "You taught me well."

Boruto pursed his lips and his friends laughed. Inojin and Shikadai placed their cards down, Mitsuki pulled the cards towards him, picked them up and began to shuffle for another round.

Sarada sat on the couch in the living room with Chocho. The music was so loud the two groups would struggle to hear each other's conversations.

"Seriously? Shinobi Bout on a Friday night?" She sighed and took a sip of her lemonade. "I didn't know Kagura-kun was even into lame games like these."

The Uchiha chuckled and placed her drink down on the center table. "He found the deck in his frat house. He didn't know what it was, and when I told him Boruto and the rest like this game, he thought it would be a good bonding opportunity for them."

Chocho hummed and took another sip. "Is this really such a good idea, Sarada? I mean, I don't mind having him around at all, but like..." she waved her hands in the air.

Sarada raised her brow. "What?"

She let out an exasperated sigh and put her drink down, too. "Sarada," Chocho started firmly. She looked over her shoulder to see the boys laughing and starting another round. Deeming it safe, but still keeping her voice in a low and whispering tone, she said, "Boruto likes you. Don't you think this is cruel of you to flaunt your boyfriend in front of him?"

The dark haired girl scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest. She whispered back furiously, "Boruto doesn't like me."

Chocho rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you!" She screamed in a whisper. "I don't even know how you can deny this when it's so obvious!"

Sarada scowled, not even bothering to moderate the volume due to her irritation, and looked away.

"Is everything alright over there?" His pink eyes shone with concern.

Both girls snapped their gazes over to the table where the boys sat. Chocho flashed them a nervous smile. Sarada simply looked over with a nonchalant look on her face.

Kagura smiled and stood up. "It's getting late, we should go."

Sarada nodded and stood up, too.

"Girl where are you going?" Chocho asked. "This is _our_ dorm."

"I'm spending the night at Kagura-kun's," Sarada replied.

The whole room fell silent and all eyes were on the pair. Reading the situation, her boyfriend held his hands up in the air and explained, "No funny business, I swear." He gave them the most charming smile he could muster.

Boruto and Sarada's eyes met, and this did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room.

* * *

The morning light found its way through the curtains, waking the pair as the warm rays hit their faces.

"I'm really glad I found the courage to talk to you," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

She moaned softly and snuggled closer. "Me too."

"I was really scared," he chuckled before continuing, "I thought you were already taken."

"What?" She pulled away and looked into his light colored eyes. As strange as having pink colored eyes was, it didn't bother Sarada one bit. In fact, she just found their uniqueness all the more attractive. "What made you think that?"

Kagura laughed and poked her. "I thought you and Boruto were together."

The Uchiha snorted and made herself comfortable on his chest again. "You're not the only one who's said that," she muttered.

And he really wasn't. With all of their friends, and whenever they would make an acquaintance together, it was a common occurrence to be asked, "So how long have you two been dating?" Or even worse, the stranger would assume, "You two get along so well. No wonder you're together."

Sarada ground her teeth and fought back the heat that crept up her cheeks. She and Boruto have been friends since they were born. It was only normal for them to be so close to each other. Their lives were intertwined due to their family relations, and no matter which road they would choose to take, their paths would always cross.

"You two are really close." It wasn't a question, it was a _statement-_ one that set off the alarm bells in Sarada's head. She looked at Kagura, and her dark eyes were filled with worry.

"Are you asking me to stay away from Boruto?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head slowly and caressed her cheek. "I know how important he is to you, and I would never ask you to do anything for me that would hurt you."

She bit her lower lip and searched his face for anything else. Kagura laughed, effectively easing some of her tension away. "I trust you!" He tickled her side and she squeaked.

"Stop it!" She laughed and squirmed under his touch.

Kagura laughed again, wrapped his arms around her sides and buried his face in her chest, effectively hiding his expression from her field of vision. "I'm sorry. I think I'm just jealous."

" _Jealous?_ " she repeated incredulously. "Why would you be jealous of Boruto?" Her giggles filled the air and Kagura's face colored. It was ridiculous. After all the dates and that night, with their bodies still tangled together —although fully clothed— it seemed like the most fun they had in their lives. All the teasing was fun and the makeout sessions were a plus. What was there to be jealous about?

Kagura simply shrugged and shied away from the question, choosing to hide his face in her stomach instead of replying. Sarada stroked his sandy colored hair and smiled tenderly at him. "You have nothing to be jealous about."

Although Kagura appreciated the reassurance, he wasn't so sure if that was the truth.

* * *

A/N: You guys have to brace yourselves. It's going to get even angstier soon! ^^;

Please do leave me a review and let me know what you think! They make me happy.

Have a great week ahead, darling.


	13. Permission

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read, faved, followed, and reviewed this story so far! I'm so happy you've all been enjoying the feels train so far. hahaha! ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Boruto.

Beta read by: Sandsana

* * *

"Don't you think they're going too fast?" Chocho asked as she munched on a bag of potato chips. "They've only been together for four months and Sarada already met his parents last weekend."

She, Inojin, Mitsuki, and Boruto were sitting at one of the tables by the Law building. She kept her eyes glued to the other side of the field where her best friend was currently holding hands with her boyfriend.

Inojin shrugged and leaned on his palm with his cheek. "Some people have sex on the third date. I don't think this is too much."

She snapped her head back and made a face. "You know what I mean. Sarada isn't the type!"

The blond sighed. "Maybe Kagura's got a big dick and gives her good orgasms."

Chocho felt the heat rush to her face. "They haven't done that yet!"

"How would you know?"

"She would have told me, duh!"

"Maybe she's just shy and doesn't want to tell you because you'll tell everyone."

"I'm not _you_ , Inojin."

The two kept chatting and arguing on about the stages of dating and at which time frame was it acceptable to start all sorts of… dating activities.

"I can accept hand holding and hugging on the first month," Chocho said in between munches.

He shrugged. "Depends how much I like her. If she wants to make out on the first date, I'm down for that."

Mitsuki looked over to Boruto, who hadn't said a word, but he noticed that the blond was watching Sarada across the field, too.

Boruto noticed how her dark eyes sparkled, and how wide her smile was. Her aura was different, too. It seemed so much lighter. Boruto never knew she could possibly be even more beautiful. "I have never seen her this happy," he muttered, thinking that no one would hear him.

* * *

Boruto was sitting by himself at Ninbucks, trying to figure out how to solve the math equation when he was interrupted.

"Hi, Boruto. Mind if I sit here?"

The blond looked up and smiled. "Hey, Kagura. Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you something." He smiled in return as he took a seat.

Boruto's brows furrowed together and replied warily, "what about?"

The senior bristled and shifted in his seat. He tried to grin, but it came out looking like a grimace. "What are Sarada's parents like?"

Boruto's brows shot up. He was expecting to get a question about Shinobi Bout, or maybe when his next free day was to hang out, but asking about uncle Sasuke and aunt Sakura? What was this all about? "Sarada's parents? What? _Why?_ "

"I'm meeting them this weekend," he grinned. "I heard they're pretty scary. You know her father has a bit of a… _reputation."_ He laughed nervously, and scratched the back of his neck."I was wondering if you could give me some tips on how to make them... like me?"

For a moment, Boruto couldn't do anything but stare. Maybe Chocho was right, things were moving too fast. He never thought Sarada would be the type, either. Or perhaps, he just didn't know her that well anymore—if he ever really did know her in the first place. He shook the thought out of his head. What was he saying? Of course, he knew Sarada. He knew her like the back of his hand.

"I realize this is awkward for me to ask," Kagura looked him straight in the eye, "but I hope you approve of me dating her, too."

Now, _this_ snapped him out of his stupor. " _What?_ Dude!" Boruto threw his hands up in the air and gave him an exasperated look. "There's no need to ask for _that_ , and there is no reason for you to do that too, ya know?" Is this guy serious? Asking for permission from him? What was he? _Her father?_

Kagura laughed. "I know that, but I want to know if you're okay with this. It's selfish of me, but I would sleep better at night knowing you approve of us."

They stared at each other for a while and Boruto wore a confused look on his face. Was this seriously happening? If he ever did approve of him, maybe Boruto didn't know. He never knew Kagura was such a _weirdo.  
_  
"She talks about you a lot. What you say and think about things is really important to her."

Boruto found it funny that he would say that. Didn't he just fight with Sarada a few months ago, at this very same Ninbucks branch, because Boruto thought that Sarada didn't care about his opinion? The blond chewed on his lower lip for a while and recalled that experience. It was starting to weigh heavy on his heart. He should have never let his jealousy get the better of him.

"Boruto, are you alright?"

"Ah, sorry, spacing out. Exams and all, ya know?" He laughed. "What was it you wanted to know again?"

"How Sarada's parents are and if you approve of us dating."

The blond pondered on this question for a while, deciding that it would be better if he chose his words well. He didn't want to scare Kagura, but he didn't want him to be unprepared, too. "Well, Uncle Sasuke doesn't say much but he can kill you with a glare. He likes to be intimidating, but he's actually really nice." He smirked. "He loves Sarada so much," he added softly.

Kagura smiled. "I can imagine."

"Aunty Sakura on the other hand," Boruto stopped and grinned. "She's really nice. Although she unleashes hell when she's angry. I'm not sure if Sarada's told you, but she's definitely the scarier parent, and one to look out for." In all honesty, Boruto had never seen his uncle give in with one look, but Sakura always managed to do. His father often joked that Sasuke was "well trained" but Boruto knew it was really his father who was. Naruto would often cower whenever Sakura was angry.

Kagura laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "I'll try to remember that... any tips how to make them like me?"

Boruto mulled the question over for a bit before he finally said, "You'll be fine. Don't worry about it too much." And he meant this. He knew Kagura would be fine, and impress the two cause Kagura was pretty much perfect boyfriend material. Hell, he was the kind of guy even Old Man Fugaku would approve of.

Kagura smiled sincerely and then asked, "What about my second question?"

He froze for a bit and grimaced. This was something he didn't want to talk about - especially with Kagura. Boruto would have told him to leave Sarada alone, and to tell him that he wasn't the one for her. But when he opened his mouth, the truth came spilling out. "I have never seen her as happy as she is now. If she's like that because of you, then please continue doing so."

Kagura's eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps that wasn't the kind of answer he was expecting, too. It seemed like both of them were equally shocked.

"Sarada's important to me. Her happiness matters to me. If you can give her that, then I have nothing to complain about."

Boruto's heart twisted and his throat closed up. What was he saying? He was already watching her slip away right through his fingers, and now he was allowing Kagura to take her even further away. He did his best to stop his face from showing how much his heart was breaking. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, and he proceeded to gather his belongings. He needed to get away from here, he just couldn't take this anymore.

The smell of coffee, solving math problems, and sitting in Ninbucks reminded him all too much of her. And now, he was sitting across the guy who would whisk her away from him. Boruto stood up and gathered all of his strength to grin. "Good luck, dude. You're lucky to have her, so don't waste your chance."

The way his pink eyes softened, and the small smile he offered made Boruto's heart twist. Perhaps Kagura was sharper than he gave him credit for.

"I know. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make her happy."

Boruto laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Geez, you sound like you're going to marry her already."

"Well, you never know."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading, love! Please do leave me a review and tell me what you think of the story so far! Any guesses what's going to happen next? hehehe.

Have a wonderful week ahead, darling.


	14. He's Perfect

A/N: Your reviews are giving me so much life! Thank you a million times over.

I don't own Naruto or Boruto

Beta read by: SandsAna

* * *

Sarada paced in her room and glanced at the clock. It read 5:47 – only two minutes have passed since she last looked. She was ready to tear her hair out. Letting out a loud sigh, she laid down on her bed and let her legs dangle over the side as she spread her arms. Who cares if she wrinkles her dress? When it's either the dress or her sanity—it was an obvious choice. Her nerves were getting the best of her, and she really needed to calm down before Kagura arrived. Slowly, Sarada removed her glasses and closed her eyes.

 _Breathe in, breathe out._ She told herself.

 _You don't need to be so tense, ya know?_

A gasp escaped her lips, and she abruptly sat up. Her room looked blurry, and that made her head spin slightly. Sarada let out a groan as she planted her face into her palm.

Why was it Boruto's voice she heard? Regardless of the reason, it helped calm her down.

Until she heard the doorbell, that is.

 _Ding dong._

The sound snapped her out of her thoughts. Kagura must have already arrived. Hastily, she picked up her glasses and put them on before she exited her room. Her steps were light and quick. She wanted to beat her parents to answering the door. Once she reached the top of the stairs, she froze. Her mother has already opened the door for Kagura. Sarada swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

She watched her mother accept a large bouquet of stargazers from Kagura, who was now scratching the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. Sakura seemed to be laughing, and invited him into the house, only to stop a few steps in, as her father has joined the picture. Sarada didn't realize she had stopped breathing at this point. She was too far away to hear anything of their conversation.

Kagura bowed, and once he got up, Sasuke extended his hand which Kagura took to shake. Sarada took this as her cue to come down the stairs, and all eyes were on her.

"Hello." She smiled at her boyfriend. Slowly, she looked at her mother and father and grinned. "Well, I guess you're already introduced..."

Sakura only giggled. Perhaps her mother had sensed her nervousness. "You all go to the living room first, while I put these lovely flowers in a vase."

"Hn." Sasuke trailed behind his wife, leaving the two in the foyer.

Sarada let go of the breath she was holding and slumped her shoulders down. That was one bullet dodged. Now, she just had to survive the dinner and make sure everything went smoothly.

"Thanks for inviting me, Sarada-chan."

She whirled around and smiled brightly. "Of course. Only fair you meet my parents since I've already met yours." She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a smug smile. "And you got Mama flowers? What, I don't get any?"

Kagura laughed. "Sorry about that. I guess I was too nervous and I forgot. I'll make it up to you next time."

She rolled her eyes, but kept her smile on her face, and then led him to the living room.

It wasn't long until Sakura called out for the two of them. Sasuke sat at the head of the table. Sakura and Sarada sat to his right, while Kagura sat to his left. It was quite a strange arrangement, but she was glad she was sitting next to her mother. Sakura had caught Sarada fidgeting with the fabric of her skirt. She held on to her hand under the table and gave her a soft, reassuring smile. Sarada felt her nerves wash away and she returned her mother's kindness with a soft smile of her own.

She turned to face Kagura, who was apparently deep in conversation with her father about current events and the state of their nation's economic progress. She smirked. Sasuke was not one to talk much, but he seemed to have enjoyed Kagura's inputs. Leave it to her Papa to talk about the safe and boring stuff. Her mother was the one who liked to ask the bone-chilling questions, anyway.

"Where did you two meet?"

"How many dates have you gone on?"

"Have you two kissed yet?"

And quite possibly the worst, but Sarada was glad her father stopped his wife before she finished her sentence, "Have you two been using-"

"Sakura, I think it's time for dessert."

Kagura was sweating bullets, and he looked all too relieved that he was saved. Sarada released a sigh of relief, too, but even she looked like she was ready to shit herself.

Sakura giggled and stood up. "Alright, darling."

Sarada knew her father hated sweets. But it looked like he hated learning about her sex life even more if he was willing to eat cake instead of prolonging the conversation. She would have to have a word with her mother about that soon. Or maybe not. Sakura Uchiha was relentless when it came to speaking about safe sex. She was a medical professional, afterall.

* * *

After the dinner, the couple returned to their bedroom. Sakura approached her dresser and removed her earrings. "Well, Kagura-kun was nice, wasn't he?"

"Hn." Sasuke made a move to go to the bathroom.

"Hey." Sakura placed her hands on her hips. "What's with that reaction?"

Sasuke looked back over his shoulder and replied blandly, "He's nice."

Sakura grinned, obviously appeased that her husband thought so, too.

" _Too nice_."

Her smile melted away. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "He's perfect."

"And that's supposed to be bad? Or are you just surprised she didn't bring Boruto home?"

Sasuke froze. "Hn."

His wife was as sharp as always. He turned back and padded toward the bathroom. That Karatachi boy was the perfect boyfriend to bring home, and he seemed to have a lot of things in common with Sarada. But there was a gnawing feeling that Sasuke had in the pit of his stomach that something wasn't right.

He hated to admit it-and he _never_ will-but he always knew that his daughter and his idiotic best friends' son shared a strong bond with each other. He always thought that they would one day get together, and he would need to act surprised that it happened because it was all too clear that the two teenagers were far too dense to realize it themselves.

"Sasuke-kun."

"Hm?"

"Are you worried about Boruto and Sarada?"

He did not reply. He only pulled his wife close to his chest and held her near. She returned his embrace and reassured him. "I'm sure she'll figure it out."

And he knew Sarada would-with all his heart, he knew his daughter would do the right thing and realize things soon enough. He just hoped that for whatever reason she chose Kagura, she was at least sincere with her feelings towards him.

* * *

A/N: Yay for remembering to update this weekly! Hehe. Thank you to everyone who has left their reviews and thoughts for the previous chapter. It was so much fun reading them! They made me feel so happy.

Hold on to your hearts, fam. It gets kinda messy from here.


	15. Dreaming of You

A/N: Thank you so much for supporting this story! Words cannot express how happy it makes you.

I don't own Naruto.

Beta read by: SandsAna

* * *

Now that the dinner was all over and done with, Sarada laid in her bed and stared at the white ceiling. She kept replaying the conversations, looks shared between her parents, and all of Kagura's answers to her Papa's questions. She was happy she also got to sneak a kiss with Kagura before he left.

She closed her eyes and smiled to herself. _It was perfect._ He answered everything correctly, politely - smartly. Her mother even gave her a reassuring squeeze, and she mentioned how much she loved the flowers. Her father also had nothing bad to say, and he didn't narrow his eyes at her boyfriend - not even once.

Sarada let out a sound of glee, as she rolled to her side and picked up her phone. She hastily composed a text and hit send before she even realized who she had sent it to.

 _Mama and Papa love Kagura! Dinner was a success!_

She froze when she saw the three dots at the bottom of her screen.

 _I knew they would. I told him he had nothing to worry about, ya know! ;)_

Her heart stopped. She had sent it to Boruto. Her mouth went dry. She did not mean to send it to him. Why did she send it to him? Force of habit? Too late now. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard, but she could not find it in her to type anything. Too many things were racing through her head. Although what she typed and sent just filled her with dread.

 _He talked to you about it?_

Why would Kagura ask Boruto? Why did he need to ask him anything in the first place?

 _Yeah, he did. You're dating a weirdo, ya know? He even asked me if it was fine with me you're dating… Stop rubbing your worry-wart self on him! He's too cool for that._

Sarada let out a small laugh at the last two sentences, but her heart was racing. Kagura asked for permission from Boruto? What for?

 _That does sound weird. What did you tell him though?_

She felt like she watched the three dots move for ages. Was Boruto writing a novel or something? It was just a simple question. And yet, her heart twisted when she read his reply.

 _He doesn't need my permission for anything. I told him if he makes you happy, then go for it. I'm not going to intervene or anything, ya know._

Sarada bit her lower lip and felt her mouth go dry. She was supposed to feel happy that he was okay with it, right? Even if she would never admit it, Boruto's thoughts and opinions mattered to her. He was important to her, and she always valued his feedback. And yet, it hurt her so much to know that he willingly let her go. She nearly jumped when Boruto sent another message.

 _It's getting late, I need to go to sleep. I'll see you at school tomorrow._

Funny. He never ended a conversation with her, and since when did he go to sleep so early? They would usually text until they fell asleep. She pouted, but texted:

 _Good night._

She never got a reply.

* * *

Sarada opened her eyes and found herself facing a cliff. To her right, Boruto was hanging on to dear life, and to her left was Kagura in the same predicament.

 _What to do, what to do? You can't have both._ A voice whispered.

Her knees shook, and her body was filled with icy fear. Her worst fear was happening right before her eyes. She could hear Boruto and Kagura begging for her to save them. She closed her eyes and ground her teeth as she thought of a way to save both of them.

 _But you can't save them both._ The voice taunted. _You only get one choice. Who will it be?_

Who would it be?

"Take me instead…"

The voices laughed and taunted further. _Silly girl. That's not how it works. It's one or the other. If you don't choose now, they both go._

"No!" Sarada cried. She refused to play into these games. It wasn't fair. Why did she have to choose between the two of them? Their relationships to her were completely different. Weren't they?

 _Very well. They both go._

Both Kagura and Boruto suddenly slipped from their grip, and she watched as they fell. Her body moved on its own, and she ran. She had no time to think, she just ran as fast as her legs could take her. Right when she was about to hold on to his hand-he disappeared.

A gasp escaped her lips, as the last she saw was how his blue eyes were filled with fear.

She laid on the ground on her stomach, covered in scrapes. Her whole body shook with fear and shock. How could she let him slip away?

Suddenly, right behind her, she heard in Kagura's voice say, "I knew you wouldn't choose me."

Sarada bolted upright in her bed, covered in cold sweat. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking. Slowly, she touched her ashen face to find that tears were rolling down her cheeks. She shut her eyes tightly and pulled her knees up to her chest. She sobbed quietly as she recalled the look in Boruto's blue eyes, and Kagura's confident, yet disappointed tone.

Perhaps she made the wrong choice, after all.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for missing a week! I swear, I'm trying to keep up with the weekly updates. ^^

Please do leave me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter. Things are gonna get angsty, fam. Hold on tight!


	16. The New Girl in Town

A/N: Here's the next chapter! Thank you so much for supporting this story. I really cannot reiterate enough how much it means to me.

Beta read by: SandsAna

* * *

Sarada walked through the university's halls absentmindedly. She didn't get any sleep the previous night thanks to her all-too-disturbing-dream. It all felt so real to her, and was so hard to shake off. She was just thankful she didn't scream, or else her parents would wake up and be worried about her. She rubbed her eye and trudged on to class. Before she knew it, she bumped into someone lightly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" A girl with long, purple hair and eyes of the same color apologized profusely. Her lavender skirt flowed with her movement.

"It's no problem," Sarada mumbled. She looked at the girl and realized she had never seen her before.

"I'm new around here, and I'm a little lost," she sheepishly admitted. "Do you know where M202 is?" Her voice was so soft and timid.

Sarada's eyebrows furrowed together. "That's where my theology class is. Let's walk together."

Girl's eyes lit up with glee. "Really? Thank you so much!" She fell instep with Sarada and offered her hand. "I'm Sumire Kakei."

Sarada felt so at ease with her. She reminded her of her Aunt Hinata. She took her hand and shook it. "Sarada Uchiha."

"Sarada-san!" The girl grinned. "It may be a little… forward but-I think we will be fast friends!"

Sumire's grin was infectious, as Sarada found herself grinning, too. "I think so, too."

.

.

.

They sat together during Theology class, and that's when Sarada found out more about her. Sumire was from out of the country, a transferee, taking up Computer and Technology. She was dorming by herself in campus, and just arrived that morning.

"Would you like to join my friends and me for lunch?"

Sumire blushed. "I-is it really okay? I don't want to intrude."

"Of course!" Sarada grinned. The two girls were chatting until they reached the edge of the Law building. Huddled together at one of the stone tables were Boruto, Mitsuki, Shikadai, Inojin, Chocho, Wasabi, and Namida.

"Oy, who's this?"

Sarada knew that voice. She felt her heart drop right when she saw his sunny smile as memories of her dream from last night resurfaced. Sarada being an Uchiha used snark and nonchalance to hide her feelings. She had perfected it to an art. "Is that the kind of tone you take when you meet someone new?"

Sarcasm just slips out far more naturally than sweet nothings do for this girl.

"Eeeeh? That's something coming from the stick-in-the-mud," he teased.

Sarada pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and released an onslaught of sassy and sarcastic remarks, to which Boruto was more than happy to step up to the conversation. They bickered on for a few more moments until Sarada was full of it.

"Fuck you!" Sarada spat.

Boruto leaned in closer to her, a sly grin on his face. "Oh, _please do_."

She froze and her spine suddenly straightened. She colored all the way up to her ears. "Pervert!"

The blond waggled his eyebrows at her. "I'm only doing as you ask. I'll be gentle with you, ya know?"

All of their friends watched on as if nothing was amiss.

"Some things just don't change," Chocho remarked, in-between munches. Shikadai and Inojin only nodded.

"Hello. I'm Mitsuki." The boy offered his hand to shake.

The girl smiled warmly and shook his hand. "I'm Sumire."

"Hand holding on the first go? You're finally learning, Mitsuki." Boruto grinned slyly.

The girl immediately let go and colored. "I-it is nothing like that!"

A light pink rose to Mitsuki's cheeks too. Boruto hooked his arm on the back of his friend's neck and grinned at the new girl. "Just teasing. I'm Uzumaki Boruto."

"N-nice to meet you, Boruto-kun." Her face turned scarlet.

The pleasantries were disrupted when a giant bouquet of pink carnations joined the picture. It was Sarada's turn to blush.

Kagura held up a bouquet bigger than his torso and presented it to her with a lopsided grin on his face. "Good morning, Sarada-chan."

Inojin whistled. "Well, well. So you're the mystery buyer Mom got this morning."

Kagura laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. He then turned his attention to face his girlfriend. "Yeah, well. I told you I would make it up to you, right?"

Sarada stammered, "I-I was just kidding. You didn't have to!"

"I know, but I wanted to." He smiled.

Boruto looked on and fell silent. The new girl's gaze settled on him before she turned back to face the couple.

A strong gust of wind came sweeping down, tousling their hair and ruffling their clothes. It was odd for this time of year, yet it carried a sense of foreboding for the season's change.

* * *

A/N: This was fairly short, sorry about that. Will make it up to you by posting another chapter soon!

There's a new girl in town, can you guess what her role will be? hehehe.


	17. One Down, Two to Go

Hello, loves! Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. :)

I don't own Naruto / Boruto.

* * *

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Sarada plopped on the seat in front of her best friend and released a deep sigh. Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes were wrinkled. It was very un-Sarada like.

"Honestly!" Chocho pouted. "I never get to see you anymore and when we do, you're late! I had to start eating while waiting." She took a big bite of her pasta and continued to pout at her friend.

Sarada laughed nervously. "Please go ahead. I'm really sorry. Kagura-kun didn't want me to leave."

Chocho's amber eyes scanned her friend again, landed on the yellow scarf around her neck, and smirked. "Oh? I wonder what you two were doing for him to not want you to leave."

Sarada froze and looked away, hiding the heat that had risen to her cheeks. "It's not like that!"

She laughed and munched on her food some more. "No shame, girl. But really, Sarada. He's _always_ with you. We never get to hang out with you anymore."

"I know, I know." Sarada slumped back in her chair and released a heavy sigh. "Mama and Papa have been wanting to see me more often, too. I'm just glad I get to see Mitsuki since he's been helping Mama these days and staying over more often."

"Ooh? He got that internship he wanted in Auntie Sakura's hospital?"

Sarada shook her head. "I don't think you can call it that, but I think he has a good chance of getting it. He comes over and stays in Mama's library, and she goes over her cases with him." Sarada waved her hand in the air. "You know how Mama favors him."

Chocho nodded and spoke in between bites, "Well, it seems like he's been struck with the lovebug. Too bad for him, Mitsuki will never stand a chance with me."

Sarada blinked. "What are you talking about?"

The brunette let out a loud and dramatic sigh. "You really have been gone and out of the loop! A few days ago, we were at Wasabi's place. He confessed to having feelings for someone, but we couldn't get him to tell us _who_."

"Mitsuki likes someone?" Sarada grinned. It was so unlike him, but she was glad he finally had found someone. She made a mental note to go and interrogate him later.

.

.

.

Later that day, Sarada was packing up her books in the library, when one of her friends approached her.

"Hello there."

"Oh, Sumire." Sarada pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and put her books back down on the table. "Doing some studying, too?"

Sumire smiled and looked down. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something, and I hope you don't think I'm being too bold."

Sarada grinned. "Don't be silly. We're friends. Ask away."

The girl shuffled a bit before she finally raised her gaze and made eye contact. "Do you like Boruto?"

" _Me?_ " Sarada was shocked but managed to smile. "No way."

"Well, I do," Sumire admitted.

This confession made Sarada's mind go blank, but she was certain her face was betraying her, and showing her confusion evidently.

Sumire giggled. "I wanted to ask you if-if you thought he might like me, too? I want to ask him out. Do you think he'll say yes?"

Her dark eyes widened and her lips parted. That was _not_ what Sarada was expecting to hear. She stared on for a few more seconds, and Sumire was patient enough to smile and wait kindly for her response. Sarada shook her head and said, "Boruto goes on a lot of dates, as far as I know, he's never turned a girl down."

Sumire's eyes lit up and her smile grew. She looked so happy, and yet it twisted Sarada's gut to think about Sumire and Boruto dating. Her pocket started vibrating and she fished out her phone. She looked at the screen.

 _ **Mitsuki:**_ where are you?

Sarada raised a brow and took a peek at her watch. "Oh! I need to go!" She hastily stuffed her books in her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I'll see you soon." She ran out of the library, earning a heated glare from the librarian but that didn't matter to Sarada. She was late, _again_.

.

.

.

Sarada jogged over to Mitsuki's car, holding on to the strap of her duffel bag, and an apology ready on her lips. She knew Mitsuki wouldn't even need to hear it, but she said it anyway. "I'm so sorry I'm late!"

Mitsuki smiled, took her bag and placed it in the compartment. "It's no big deal, Sarada. Were you with Kagura-san?"

She shook her head. "No. I was at the library with Sumire."

His fingers nearly got caught on the compartment's lock. "Ah." His clumsiness did not go unnoticed. Sarada blinked a few times but chose to stay quiet. Instead, she hopped in the passenger seat and strapped her seat belt on.

The car ride was mostly quiet but comfortable. Mitsuki's presence always calmed her and placed her mind in a state of peace. Sarada always did like Mitsuki's driving. It was fast and smooth, but still careful. They chatted here and there, catching up with each other's classes and other extracurricular activities. Soon enough, they reached the Uchiha Mansion, and Mitsuki pulled up the front. The two unloaded their belongings and entered.

.

.

.

Sharp steps echoed from the top of the stairs. "Mitsuki, Sarada, welcome home."

The boy bowed slightly, while Sarada climbed a few steps to give her mother a kiss on the cheek. "I'm home, Mama."

Sakura smiled at the two and said, "Why don't you two freshen up first? Dinner will be ready in a bit. Mitsuki, you'll be staying the night." Sakura wasn't requesting, it was a statement. One which the boy was accustomed to. He only nodded and said his thanks.

Both of them carried their belongings and made their way up their rooms. Since Mitsuki and Sarada had been friends for a long time, Sakura turned one of the guest rooms into his own room.

Mitsuki turned the knob and pushed the door open. Cream colored walls, light colored furniture, and the distinct scent of the Uchiha Manor mixed with his own scent welcomed him back. The twin bed was well made and had fresh light blue sheets with abstract snake patterns. There was a desk, a bookshelf, his own bathroom, and a large window that overlooked the garden. He placed his bag down on the floor and laid down on the bed, then decided to stare at the ceiling for a few moments. There were glow in the dark stars stickered on. He smirked remembering how those got there. Mitsuki used to be afraid of the dark, and even if he would never admit it, Boruto and Sarada knew that and understood. One day when they were only twelve, he came by the Uchiha Mansion to drop off some borrowed books and found his best friends standing on each other's shoulders trying to stick the stars on. The memory made him smile wider, and he closed his eyes.

The three of them were no longer twelve, and even if they were all still friends, things really haven't been the same. Boruto and Sarada were growing distant with one another, and Mitsuki was getting busier with his classes. Not to mention trying to juggle his work with Sakura.

He opened his eyes. His parent was in the medical field too, and he was often away. He could count with his fingers the time he'd spent with his parent, but for all the times he had spent in this room, in this house, even the stars in the sky wouldn't be enough. Sarada was like a sister to him, and Sakura did far more than teach him how to be a good doctor. And Boruto… He always was Mitsuki's sun. He made everything fun and interesting. But he wasn't so sure if he still thought that way since-

 _Knock knock._

Mitsuki sat up. "Yes?"

The door opened and Sarada popped her head in. "Dinner time."

The two of them walked to the dining room and found Sakura placing down bowls of rice.

"Papa isn't here?" The slight disappointment in her voice did not go unnoticed by Mitsuki and by the way Sakura's green eyes softened, it didn't pass her by either.

"Your father is away on a business trip with Naruto. You know how urgent things pop up."

Sarada simply nodded and took a seat at the left of the head of the table. Mitsuki sat next to her, but before Sakura sat down, she pulled her phone out and took a selfie of her, the food, and the two kids. Sarada and Mitsuki were quick to smile and hold up peace signs, already used to Sakura's quick photo ops.

Dinner was a lively affair, Sakura badgered the two with questions how their university life was going, and they both answered and indulged her. Sakura cracked a joke about how she was the "perfect balance" of a studious and party going girl during her college days, making Mitsuki and Sarada laugh.

On sync, both Sarada and Mitsuki's phones dinged. The selfie Sakura took earlier was attached to the message.

 _ **Boruto:**_ I can't believe you two didn't invite me to this! That's not fair, ya know?

Sarada smirked and showed her mother the message. Mitsuki was typing up a reply but then a photo of Boruto with his arm around Sumire popped up on the screen, making Mitsuki stop and frown.

 _ **Boruto:**_ Whatever! I'm hanging out with Sumire now. We have to get together on Monday. I think she's into me. But then again, who isn't? :

Sarada was still holding her phone up for Sakura when the message and photo appeared. Her mother's face lit up. "Does Boruto have a new girlfriend?"

Mitsuki and Sarada exchanged glances, both refused to say a word. Sarada looked at the photo, turned her screen off, and shoved the phone back into her pocket with a little more force than necessary. The tension hung in the air, thick and suffocating.

Sakura clapped her hands together, breaking the silence. "Okay, I think it's time for dessert."

* * *

A/N: Mamakura knows how to save the day. Lol.

How have you been, darling? Good, I hope. Did you like this chapter? Please do let me know what you think by leaving me a review. They make me happy dance.


	18. Heart to Heart

Hello, loves! Here's the next chapter of IGY. Enjoy. :)

 **I don't own Naruto / Boruto.**

* * *

After dinner, Mitsuki followed Sakura into her study to discuss his schedule. There were more and more cases that Sakura was allowing him to be involved in, even if he didn't get to visit the hospital to take a look. He appreciated that there were photos and very detailed reports from her interns and staff. Mitsuki clutched the folder to his chest as he walked down the halls, determined to go back to his room to go through the files one last time before giving his own input to Sakura in the morning. Perhaps he can wake up a little earlier and join her for Yoga before discussing the case over breakfast.

However, before he could get to his room, he noticed the door leading to the den being ajar, and a light glow coming from it. Curiously, he walked over and took a peak. He found Sarada curled up at the corner of the sofa and texting furiously, a deep frown marring her features. He walked inside and stopped a few steps away from her. "Who are you talking to?"

Sarada lifted her head, but the frown was still set on her lips. She huffed and showed him the screen, "Kagura-kun."

Mitsuki blinked a few times and took a seat next to her on the sofa. He took the phone from her fingers and started scrolling. He read with a slight smile on his face, the conversation wasn't that bad, it was basically Kagura asking what she was doing, and sulking that he wasn't invited to their dinner, asking why was Mitsuki at the Uchiha Mansion with her, and why would he be staying the weekend.

"He's being jealous again," Sarada sighed. "It's starting to get annoying."

He tipped his head to the side and handed back the phone. "Isn't that normal?"

She shrugged and muttered, "I've known you and Boruto my entire life. There's no need for that. I just hate having to explain myself all the time, you know? It's like… It's like he doesn't trust me."

"Does he have a reason to feel that way?"

Sarada scoffed. "Of course not."

"Maybe Kagura-san feels that you don't love him."

It seems like he hit a nerve, as she glared at him. "What are you even suggesting? Of course, I do."

Mitsuki smiled. "Have you told him you loved him?" The way her posture went rigid and she stayed silent, made him smile until his eyes closed. Mitsuki didn't even need to hear it out loud. "There's your answer."

"That's not the kind of thing you say so freely."

"But you would tell me and Boruto you love us, right?"

Sarada laughed. "Don't be so full of yourself. You should stop hanging out with Boruto!" After a few moments of silence, she pulled her legs on the couch and rested her chin on her knees. "Do you really think that will do the trick?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I never dated anyone."

A sly grin spread on Sarada's face. "Speaking of dating, I heard you like someone."

His golden eyes widened, and a light pink dusted his pale cheeks. There was no use in lying to her, anyway. "I think I do. She's cute."

Sarada hummed and continued to tease him. "Who is it?"

Unlike Boruto and Sarada, Mitsuki was not swimming neck deep in denial. "Sumire."

She blinked a few times and opened her mouth before closing it again. Mitsuki sensed her discomfort and smiled. "You're the first one I told, it's also the first time I've said this out loud. It seems… weird now that I've heard myself say it."

Sarada chuckled and relaxed, a somber expression on her face. "Yeah, but she likes Boruto."

"I figured."

"Do you think he likes her, too?" Her voice was so small and quiet that he barely heard it. It was rare for Sarada to allow herself to be so vulnerable, even in front of him.

Mitsuki thought about it for a while. Knowing Boruto, he was probably just dating her as a scapegoat for his true feelings. Boruto likes Sarada, and nothing was going to change that. "No, I don't think he does. He's just using her to hide his real feelings." Mitsuki bit his tongue. He tasted venom in his mouth. He had never hated or felt any sort of anger towards Boruto, but something inside him was bubbling. Just the thought that Boruto would drag an innocent girl into this mess made him want to punch the blond. "He likes someone else."

"Oh? Who?"

Mitsuki smirked. "You know who, Sarada."

She rolled her eyes. "If you say it's me, I'm going to punch you."

"Then I won't say. You already know it." He grinned.

The way she pursed her lips and looked away to hide her blushing cheeks convinced Mitsuki that she didn't believe _all of it_ , but she had believed _some of it_. And that was enough for now. He made a mental note to pry Boruto off of Sumire and shove him back towards Sarada-even if it's the last thing he does.

* * *

A/N: You guys are catching up to the chapters in tumblr! Yay! Although this means I need to hurry up and finish the story, too. Lol.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter, as well as how you think Mitsuki and Sarada's relationship would be like when they're older. I reckon they would be close, and there are certain things that the two of them confide in with only each other. I also love the idea of Mitsuki always being at her house because of his apprentice work with Sakura. ^^ How about you? Any headcanons to share?

Have a great weekend, loves!


	19. Seriously Serious

A/N: Finally remembered to update. Enjoy reading! This chapter is... pretty intense.

I don't own Naruto/Boruto.

* * *

The room was dark, and despite the ungodly hour, there was a soft glow emanating from the bed space. The light from her phone reflected on her glasses, and her long, dark hair sprawled across the ivory colored pillows. Her legs were tangled in the thick comforters, a frown on her face. Photo after photo on her Instagram feed was of Boruto and Sumire's face. They had been dating for a few weeks now, and all posts across her social media were flooded with their activities. Eating Sumire's home cooked lunch at Konoha U's field, studying together in the library, going to fraternity parties, and even just random selfies. But the last one was what made Sarada want to gag. It was a photo of Boruto's entire family with Sumire at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto, Hinata, and Himawari were all smiles, as Boruto extended his right arm to take a selfie, with his left arm wrapped around Sumire's shoulders. He had already taken her to dinner and meet his family.

 _They had only been dating for a little over a month_ , she thought. She scowled and scrolled up, not wanting to see the photo anymore. She didn't even know why was she so angry, and yet she wanted to throw her phone across the room.

"Hey," a soft and sleepy voice from behind her spoke. A warm arm snaked around her waist, and she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck. "Not sleepy yet?"

She turned her phone off and took her glasses off. She shook her head. "No."

"Well, if you're not sleepy yet, maybe we can have sex instead?"

Sarada smirked and relaxed into his embrace. "You keep pushing your luck with that."

Kagura chuckled and planted soft kisses on her bare shoulder. "I'm not rushing you, okay? Just putting the thought out there."

She smiled and turned to her other side to face him. In the dark, it was hard to see his face, but she knew he was giving her that nervous and crooked smile he always did whenever he thought he might have crossed the line. To reassure him, she kissed his lips and buried her face on his chest. Kagura eagerly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Sarada released a sigh of her own, and he rubbed her back in comforting circles.

It was pointless to feel angry over Boruto and Sumire. She had the perfect boyfriend, and he loved her unconditionally. The last five months weren't perfect, but they were manageable. Her parents liked him, and her friends accepted him, too. What was there to complain about?

"My grandparents are coming over this weekend," Sarada started. "Do you want to come over for dinner?"

He froze and stuttered, "Y-your grandparents? You-you mean Mr. Fugaku?"

Sarada nodded. "Uncle Itachi might come, too. I hope he does, at least. I haven't seen him in a while." She then lifted her head to look at his face in the dark. "You can sleep over, too, if you like. Then you can say you're even with Mitsuki." She giggled.

This released the tension in his shoulders, and Kagura laughed. "Ah, if you put it that way." After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. "Do you really think I'm ready to meet him?"

She shrugged. The Uzumaki family photo with Sumire flashed in her mind, making her grimace. If he could introduce her in the span of a few weeks, then she could take her relationship with Kagura to the next level. "Of course. I know they'll love you."

"Like how you love me?" She could hear his grin, but Sarada couldn't get herself to say it still.

She bit her lower lip and replied, "Of course." Sarada thanked all the gods in the sky she couldn't see his face. She didn't think her heart could handle his hurt and disappointed expression.

.

.

.

Sarada straightened her skirt before she took the seat that Kagura was holding out for her. Fugaku's dark and scrutinizing gaze was on them the entire time. Kagura's grandfather had a ruthless reputation. Seeing that Fugaku and he were batchmates, Sarada wasn't surprised that her grandfather would be wary of her boyfriend. However, the soft smiles and respectful tone Kagura kept throughout the night seemed to have been working. Itachi was actually carrying a good conversation with Kagura, and engaging Sasuke, too. Her grandmother and mother chatted away and shared hushed words of approval for the boy.

Despite things going well, Sarada's nerves were still on edge. Daintily, she took her wine glass and took a long sip. She closed her eyes as the burgundy liquid sloshed inside her mouth before she gulped it down. She had to hand it to Kagura, this was the best wine she had ever tasted. He certainly knew his wines.

"How do you like it?" Kagura asked, throwing a gentle smile her way.

Sarada smiled, too and replied, "I like it. It's the best wine I've had."

His smile morphed into a full grin.

Fugaku spoke, breaking their moment. "Indeed it is. I'm glad you took my advice, Sarada. That Uzumaki Boy pales in comparison to Kagura."

Sarada froze. She took a fistful of her skirt and crumpled the fabric under her tight grip. She couldn't believe her grandfather would bring him up. Boruto was already a sensitive topic between her and Kagura, and now Fugaku just made it sound like there was history between them. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kagura held her hand under the table and gave it a light squeeze.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Uchiha, but I would have been far more appreciative if you didn't compare me to Boruto. We're both different, as our relationship is with Sarada." His smile was kind, yet there was a sharpness to his tone. She had never heard anyone talk back to her grandfather. "I assure you I will take very good care of her."

Fugaku smirked. "You really _are_ a Karatachi. Very well." He raised his wine glass towards their direction and nodded before taking a sip of his wine.

Sarada stopped breathing, her mind went into overdrive. _Her grandfather had just given his approval_. _This_ was what she wanted, and hoped for. _This_ was why she invited Kagura to dinner in the first place. Yet the way her stomach twisted and heart pounded, she was starting to think that this wasn't her intention from the start.

.

.

.

"Sarada."

She tore her eyes away from her phone and blinked a few times before she spoke, "Uncle Itachi."

He glided across the room and sat next to her on the sofa. They stared at each other for a few moments in silence before Sarada smiled and spoke, sensing her uncle's tension. "What's up?"

His thin lips quirked upward and he placed his hand on the top of her head. "I'm happy you found someone you like. Although I must admit, I was surprised you took someone else home."

Her eyes narrowed, and she placed her phone away. She regarded her uncle warily but tried to joke her way out of it. "Who did you think I would bring?"

Itachi smirked and retracted his hand. "I was just… surprised. I can see why Kagura would take a fancy to you." She tipped her head to the side, a slight smile on her face. "He thinks you're intelligent, and you two have a lot in common. A little too much, to be precise."

"What are you saying?"

Itachi shrugged and tapped her forehead. "I'll let you know some other time."

Her cheeks were dusted with light rose, but she pouted. "That's not fair!"

He smiled at her and rose from the sofa. "To answer your earlier question, yes, I thought you would bring someone else home. In fact, I was rooting for him."

Her lips parted, and her eyes widened. She didn't want to admit it, but the way her uncle's eyes locked on her own, there was only one name that popped into her head.

 _Boruto._

.

.

.

"Mitsuki!"

"Oh, Sango." He stopped walking as his classmate jogged up to him, long ponytail swaying side to side as she did. She was holding on to a brochure and extended it to him.

"You like animals, right?"

"Of course." He took the brochure and took a look. It read: _ZOOLUNTEERS!_

She grinned. "Awesome! We're looking for volunteers. Do you want to join?" He blinked a few times, at the brochure and leafed through. As Mitsuki did, Sango kept on talking. "There are a lot of sections and cool stuff you can sign up to do. Like, you could feed tiger cubs with milk bottles, help clean the reptile cages, oh! And man the petting zoo. You can hold the python while the kids pet them." Sango knew what she was talking about. Any mention of snakes-Mitsuki's favorite animal-was sure to get him to say yes.

"I have to check my schedule…" His mouth was saying "no", but his eyes were screaming "yes". He would have to talk to Sakura about it and check if he can squeeze it in his ever busy schedule.

"Sure!" Sango grinned. "My number's at the back. Just text me!"

He smiled, nodded, and thanked her. Mitsuki read more of the information as he walked back to their dorm. As much as he wanted to keep his thoughts on the cute snakes he could spend time with, his phone kept on vibrating. He stuffed the brochure in his back pocket and pulled his phone out.

Denki was texting him non-stop about not forgetting their study plans. As he read through the messages, a banner popped up and he clicked it. It was their chat group, and Chocho and Inojin were teasing Boruto about Sumire. Mitsuki scrolled up and saw that Shikadai took a screenshot of Boruto's photo on Instagram with his family and Sumire. He read more of the exchanges and read Boruto defending himself, saying he was actually having a good time with her and was taking this seriously. Inojin, Chocho, and Shikadai were going in for the kill, cornering Boruto for more details. It did not go unnoticed for Mitsuki that Sarada read the messages, but did not respond or react to anything. He was just relieved no one bothered calling her out for it-not even Inojin did.

Finally, Mitsuki reached his shared dorm with Boruto. Once he had it unlocked and pushed the door open, he was met by a pair of purple eyes and a warm smile.

"Mitsuki, welcome home!"

He blinked a few times and felt the need to pinch himself. Was he dreaming? Was Sumire really here, in his dorm, welcoming him home?

"I hope you don't mind, Boruto-kun said I could wait in here."

Mitsuki shook his head to clear it and smiled. "Of course. Make yourself at home." He placed his belongings down on the chair, and fixed his stuff, keeping himself busy and hiding the blush on his pale cheeks. He was used to Boruto bringing his dates back to their place but this was Sumire. Mitsuki couldn't help but feel as if his roommate was dangling his girl in his face.

"Are you a Zoolunteer?"

"A what?" _Why does she have to sound so cute?_ He turned around and found her a foot away from him.

"Ah sorry!" she held her hands up and took a step back. "I just… I saw the brochure. Are you thinking about joining?"

Mitsuki pulled out the brochure and looked at it. His eyes lit up. Perhaps this could be his opportunity to get to know her better. "Are you a volunteer?"

She enthusiastically nodded her head and grinned. "I usually help out with the petting zoo, sometimes I feed the tiger cubs while people take photos."

His heart soared. _Petting zoo_. What animal did Sango say was in the petting zoo? "Do you like snakes?" He blurted out.

Sumire's eyes widened, but then her face broke out into a wide grin. "I sure do! Is that weird?" she giggled.

"No, you're perfect," he blurted, only to bite his tongue after. Now _that_ was weird.

The girl's cheeks colored lightly, she looked shocked at first, but recovered and offered him a kind smile. "It would be great to have you with us, Mitsuki-kun."

"No way, I would rather have you all to myself!"

Mitsuki and Sumire looked over to the side and found Boruto, hair still damp and shirtless. Sumire's cheeks colored a deeper shade of red, making the blond laugh. He walked up to her and kissed her on the lips. Mitsuki had seen Boruto kiss other girls in front of him before, but he felt his blood rush and boil.

Why did Boruto have to show off in front of him like this?

His fists clenched and he cleared his throat. Boruto pulled away, seemingly remembering that there was _another_ person in the room.

"Ah, sorry," Boruto grinned and pulled a shirt on, leaving Sumire a blushing mess next to him, she lifted her hands to cover her face. He sat her down on the bed, but she continued to hide her face. Mitsuki didn't even know if she was embarrassed that Boruto had kissed her in front of him, or if she was just red from Boruto kissing her. Period.

Mitsuki watched Boruto shrug his jacket on and dry his hair on a towel. He felt himself calm down with every passing second, and he was more than grateful. For a moment there, he thought he might have actually _hated_ Boruto. Impossible. Boruto was his best friend. There was no way in hell he would hate him. Ever.

Finally, the blond was done getting ready. He helped Sumire up from the bed and ushered her out of their dorm. Before Boruto could close the door, he whispered to Mitsuki, "Hey, do you mind staying over at Inojin's tonight? I might need the dorm later on when we get back from our date." He smirked and laughed. "See ya, dude."

Mitsuki didn't even have time to react or say anything before Boruto closed the door. He just stood there, in the middle of their dorm, blood rushing, and heart seething.

He never thought he could ever hate Boruto. Apparently, it was.

* * *

A/N: Hello, darlings. How have you been? Good, I hope. I've been really busy, but still managing to write some one-shots every now and then. The year is ending soon. Any highlights to share? :)

What did you think of this chapter? Did Mitsuki strike you as the type to be an awkward baby when he's around his crush? hahaha! Do let me know what you think by leaving me a review. :)


	20. Confessions

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Mitsuki walked along the halls going back to his dorm. He pulled another late night studying at the library, only leaving when the librarian shooed him because it was time to close. Nearing midnight, there weren't much students hanging around the campus or along the dorm halls. Although he did see some guys coming back from the shower rooms. Right when he turned the corner, he bumped into a girl on the way out.

Her large brown eyes were shocked to see him-recognition flashing on her face. "S-sorry," she stuttered and scurried away.

His eyebrows furrowed at the center. He forgot her name, but Mitsuki was sure he had met or seen her somewhere with Boruto before. His stomach knotted and heart twisted. Why did he have a bad feeling about this? Hastily fishing his keys out of his pockets, Mitsuki unlocked their door and found Boruto lying down on his stomach, playing with his handheld console.

There was nothing out of the ordinary here except for one thing, Boruto wasn't wearing anything except for his boxers, hair messy and his clothes were all over the dorm as if he was in a hurry to remove them. His bed was also in a state of disarray.

"Oh, hey Mitsuki," Boruto greeted him lazily. "Do you have food? I'm starving."

It was an innocent question, nothing wrong. Just Boruto being Boruto. Although for some reason, it made Mitsuki's blood boil. "Who was that girl in the hall, Boruto?"

The edge in his voice startled the blond. His brows furrowed together and gave Mitsuki a questioning look. "Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me. The brunette who just left our dorm."

"Ah, Yumi!" Boruto laughed. "That was nothing."

" _Nothing?"_ Mitsuki saw red. "Why are you doing this? Aren't you dating Sumire?"

Boruto sat up and shrugged. "It was just a one-time thing. Sumire and I aren't really that serious, either." He then smirked. "Since when did you care about who I'm seeing?" Mitsuki approached Boruto and punched his right cheek. Boruto fell back on his bed and held on to his face, eyes full of shock and confusion. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Just checking if you can still feel something," Mitsuki replied casually. His features then hardened. "Why are you doing this? You don't have feelings for any of these girls."

"How the hell would you know?" Boruto yelled, face contorted in anger. He rose to his feet and leveled his glare with Mitsuki's. "You say that like you've had experience with these things, ya know?"

"I don't need experience to know that you're playing around to cover up how you really feel." Mitsuki was not backing down, his golden eyes burning with anger. He just couldn't understand why Boruto couldn't own up to his feelings.

"Don't start with me, Mitsuki. Not about my feelings for Sarada or anybody. It's not that simple!"

He balled his fists so tight his knuckles were turning white. "What is so complicated?" It was really so hard to fathom. Boruto has feelings for Sarada and Mitsuki was more than willing to bet his pet snake back home that Sarada felt the same. It wasn't fair for anyone else to be caught up in this mess. "You love Sarada and I know she loves you, too. You two always have."

In their trio, he was the last to join. Boruto and Sarada have known each other since they were born and they shared so many experiences and secrets that Mitsuki would never know of. He didn't mind these one bit, and he never felt out of place, either. It was a sort of silent understanding between the three of them. However even if, Boruto and Sarada never made him feel like an outsider. At some point, Boruto and Mitsuki were always together and there were secrets that Sarada would confide in with Mitsuki instead of Chocho or Boruto. It's just how things always were.

Hurt flashed in Boruto's eyes and he looked away, slowly slumping down on his bed. "It doesn't matter anymore how I feel about her, Mitsuki. She's got Kagura. She's really happy with him-I've never seen her this happy, ya know? Plus, he's a good guy. I don't want to ruin this for them."

Mitsuki stepped back. Boruto matured over the years, for sure but it was surprising to hear this kind of selflessness from him. "But what about you? Dating someone while knowing you're in love with someone else isn't right."

"I know," he whispered. "But Sumire's great and I do want to try dating her seriously. I need to get over Sarada."

"You don't _use_ people like this," the venom was back in Mitsuki's voice.

Boruto snapped his gaze back to Mitsuki. "Well, what am I supposed to do then? Just wallow around and do nothing?"

"You could own up to your feelings and see where that takes you."

The blond glared at Mitsuki but eventually lowered his gaze and sighed. "I can't do that. It will hurt too many people."

"You're already hurting a lot of people as it is," Mitsuki rolled his eyes and sat down next to his friend. "You might as well just rip the band-aid off quickly and allow the wound to breathe."

"Eww, are you using med school metaphors?" Boruto looked at Mitsuki and laughed. Eventually, Mitsuki found himself laughing, too.

"If it helps, why not?" He grinned.

"You're right…" Boruto admitted and shook his head. "This isn't going to be pretty, though."

"Things that are worth it don't come easy," Mitsuki stated.

"Oh Kami," Boruto groaned. "You got to stop hanging out with Chocho."

Mitsuki grinned. "Let me fix your cheek for you."

Boruto puffed his cheeks but didn't really need to since it was already swelling. "You didn't have to punch me, ya know?"

He smiled innocently. "I was just checking if you were listening."

"Yeah right!"

It looked like things were looking up.

Kind of.

* * *

A/N: How's your new year so far? Can you believe it's February next week? I know I can't. lol. I've been too busy for my own good, and I really haven't had too much time to write. Thank you for being patient and supporting this story, and please do leave me a review to let me know your thoughts about this chapter! Does it show too much that I love Mitsuki? hihihi.

Happy weekend, darling!


	21. Bad Timing

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Long time no see. Sorry for the inactivity. Things have been really busy, and I rarely get time to write these days. I also keep forgetting to post my stories here.**

 **Thank you so much for the faves, follows and reviews for this story! I love hearing your thoughts about it. :)**

 **I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Ever since his little chat with Mitsuki, Boruto had been making it a point to hang around Sarada more often. Other than because it helped making him feel at ease, he adored the way her eyes lit up as soon as she saw him. It sent his stomach into knots and his heart thumping wildly. Sarada waved at him, and the widest grin spread on his face. It was always nice being with her.

The main reason he had been spending more time around her was because he had been trying his hardest to catch the right time to tell her how he felt. Mitsuki had a lot more to say that night, as he patched up Boruto's cheek. Now it was just slightly discolored. He did a good job healing it.

"Hey, Sarada."

"Hi-what happened to your cheek?" she asked, hand coming up to his chin to move his face to the side so she could take a closer look. "Did someone punch you?"

"No, reality did," Mitsuki replied casually as he took a seat next to Sarada.

She quirked her eyebrow up. "Is that so?" She looked between Mitsuki and Boruto. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Boruto looked at Mitsuki, and Mitsuki looked at him, too. They stared at each other for a few moments. A wide smile grew on his pale face and he stood. "I think Boruto has something to tell you, and I need to go. I'm going to be late for class."

He picked his stuff up and left the table, leaving the two behind.

Sarada watched Mitsuki leave, and then turned her attention back to Boruto, a questioning look on her face. "What's going on?" Hesitation was clear in her voice.

Boruto sat down on the bench in front of her and looked down as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, Sarada…" His heart leaped to his throat, and his palms were sweaty. Why was it so hard to talk to her? He just needed to spit it out!

 _Say it, coward!_ He thought to himself. _Tell her you love her!_

He opened his mouth only to close it again. Sarada was intently looking at his face, worry etched on her features. "What is it, Boruto?"

His eyes dropped down to her lips. God, how he wanted to kiss her instead to tell her how he felt. That's it! Maybe a kiss will be easier. Nope, wait. What? No. No no no. This is Sarada. It doesn't work that way.

"I-I-"

"There you are!" Inojin came running to their table, sweat beading on his forehead. Chocho and Shikadai were lagging behind, taking their sweet time. "We were looking all over for you! That paper for our Lit class, it's due _today!"_

"WHAT?" Boruto's face paled. "Isn't that due next week?"

"Apparently it isn't," Shikadai showed his phone to Boruto, there was an email from their Professor giving instructions to leave their paper at the faculty instead.

"Oh shit!" Boruto was up on his feet. He then looked Sarada's way and apologized. "I need to go. Umm… I'll catch you at Ninbucks later?" he asked as he gathered his belongings. "Let's meet at five? On me! Sorry, but I really gotta go."

He dashed out with the trio, leaving a bewildered Sarada behind.

* * *

Boruto pushed the glass doors open and the smell of coffee hit his senses. A small smile formed on his lips as he took a deep breath to take it all in. It had been a while since he's been here. He was never really a big fan of coffee, but he never denied his need for it when he needed to pull an all-nighter and stay focused. His eyes scanned the coffee shop for a familiar and pretty face. Once he found her, his smile widened. She was hunched over her laptop, furiously typing away at their usual table.

As he glided towards her, he was surprised to see another cup of coffee in front of her. He took the seat across from her, and Sarada didn't even look up. "I got you your usual." She tore her eyes away from her screen, a small smile on her face. "I know you said it would be on you, but I felt like you might need it."

A crooked smile formed on his face and he brought the cup up to his lips. "Thanks." After a long sip, Boruto felt so much calmer. The race to finish their Lit paper was a nightmare. He, Inojin, Shikadai, and Chocho cut all their morning classes to finish it on time. He released a contented sigh. "I needed that."

Sarada smiled at him, adjusted her glasses and closed her laptop. "So… what did you want to talk about?"

Boruto swallowed. It was so much like Sarada to get right into business. He was hoping he could at least get some conversation going and just casually slip it into the conversation as if it was nothing… Who was he kidding? Confessing that he loves Sarada Uchiha was not nothing. It was _groundbreaking._ And not in the sarcastic way Miranda Priestly said it in The Devil Wears Prada.

Everyone had been teasing them of their feelings for each other for years. Now that one of them was finally— _finally_ going to confess, the fates must be having a field day.

"It's… It's a long story, ya know?" He laughed nervously.

Sarada nodded, her face relaxing and encouraging him to go on. "We've got time."

"Yeah, right. Umm…" Boruto averted his gaze and fidgeted with his fingers. A nervous habit that almost never manifested. "You remember that time when we were toddlers and we got teased because we were always together?"

She scoffed. "That still happens, Boruto. I don't see why you're not used to it yet." She laughed.

Boruto forced himself to laugh along with her. Get used to it? As far as he could tell, she never got used to it. Quite frankly, neither did he. It just made him more uncomfortable when puberty hit because he knew deep down that maybe— _maybe_ they were right.

Now he knew for sure, they were right. Boruto needed to tell her and confirm it. Once and for all.

"Yeah well, I was thinking that maybe—"

"Hello! Do you want to try our new Caramel Crumble Frappe?" Boruto ground his teeth together. This was the second time he was interrupted.

"Oh, sure." Sarada smiled at the Barista and he handed her a cup. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sarada. How about you, Boruto? Do you want to try?"

"No, thank you," he responded evenly. No use being rude. The barista was just doing his job.

"Alrighty then. Thank you and enjoy your drink."

Boruto sighed and looked at Sarada. The happy expression on her face made heat rise to his cheeks. Sarada happily sipped the drink in her hand, satisfaction clear on her features. She also released a cute little sigh before saying, "This is really good." She then extended the small cup towards him, the green straw moved towards him.

He looked at the straw, and then back at Sarada. There was a small dot of whipped cream on her lip and his blush deepened. _She used this straw. Me using it would be indirectly kissing her_. He swallowed. He had shared a cup, straw, water bottle, and a lot of other things with her before. Since that was the case, why was sharing this particular straw bothering him now? Thinking of all those indirect kisses and one day actually kissing her swam in his mind.

"Boruto?"

He shook his head from side to side, throwing all of his thoughts away. "A-ah. Sorry, yeah, sure." He took the cup from her hand and tried to ignore the weird look on her face. She must think he's being weird. Extra weird, rather. Sarada never hid the fact that she thought he was weird.

The drink was sweet, but the thought of Sarada's lips on his was much sweeter though.

"It's good," he commented before passing the drink back to her. "I still prefer my usual."

Sarada smirked and finished the rest of the drink before placing the empty cup on the table. "Nothing beats the usual." She grinned. "Oh, have you heard, Papa's going on a business trip with your dad next week. I think they'll be gone for a while. Something about maybe getting a new partner."

"Oh yeah?" Boruto did not hear about this, but he wasn't really surprised. He was already used to Naruto leaving suddenly, for long periods of time. "Then that's good, right? I mean, more partners mean a bigger client base."

Sarada nodded and smiled. "More work to be done when it's our turn to hold the company."

 _Our turn._

"R-right." Boruto was usually calm and so together whenever he was with Sarada but it was just proving to be so difficult when everything she's been saying and doing was making him fall for her even more.

"While they're away, I was thinking we could go have dinner together with our moms. Cook dinner and bake dessert with Hima-chan like we used to do. What do you think?"

His hands on his knees twitched. Dinner with their moms at one of their homes. Those were fun, and they haven't done it in a while but it always ended with an impromptu sleepover. On the same bed.

"Sounds great!" He faked a grin and willed his hands to stop shaking in his lap. The last time they slept together on the same bed was two summers ago, and Mitsuki was there, too. Well, Hima would be there so this wouldn't be so bad, right?

Sarada smiled and started gushing about what they could cook together, and movies they could watch. The conversation moved away from his confession to planning that coming weekend instead. It was easy to fall into step with her, though. Boruto slowly relaxed and started giving his own suggestions, even volunteering to pick her up so they could shop for ingredients for their mothers instead.

The night progressed, and Boruto treated Sarada to dinner at Thunder Burger. He couldn't even remember when was the last time he was there with her. To see her sitting in front of him, eating reasonably priced burgers and just talking about their lives and everything in general set his heart at ease. Even if things were a little rocky, Sarada was still Sarada and their relationship didn't change. If anything, it felt even stronger than before. Boruto couldn't help but smile and feel his heart fill with joy. Just being in her presence was enough to make him happy and he wished for nothing more than to keep things this way but there was no way it could. He had to man up and confess.

The walk back to her dorm was spent in comfortable silence. He had lent her his jacket, and he carried her bag for her. Once they made it to her door, she took his jacket off and handed it to him in exchange for her bag.

"Thanks for today, Boruto. I missed hanging out with you." She grinned.

Boruto's cheeks colored and he thanked Kami that the hallway was pretty dim, making it barely noticeable. "Yeah, no problem. I missed hanging out with you, too."

"We should do this more often," Sarada said as she looked for her keys in her bag.

He swallowed. There she went again, saying things that made his stomach tangle into hopeless knots. Boruto opened his mouth to respond, but then the door flew open and revealed an angry Chocho. Her hair was done up in a pretty do, and her face shimmered with makeup.

"There you are, Sarada." Her voice had a slight edge. "Your boyfriend's been in our dorm waiting for you for _hours_. I've been trying to reach you."

"Oh shit, sorry!" She fished her phone out and grimaced when she saw the number of missed calls and texts. "Sorry, Chocho. I left my phone in my bag."

She sighed. "Yeah, I figured." Chocho grabbed her purse and gave Boruto a head to toe look before raising a brow. "You were with her this entire time?"

"Umm… yeah." Boruto scratched his cheek lightly and grinned. "Sorry for keeping her."

Chocho pursed her lips and walked out of the dorm. "See ya, Sarada. I'll be back late. Or not at all." She winked before turning her back at them and leaving.

"Sarada?" Kagura peaked from behind the door and straightened up when he saw Boruto. "Oh, Boruto!" He grinned. "Haven't seen you in a while. How're you?"

"Good, good." Boruto smiled back.

"I didn't know you were hanging out with Sarada. If I did, I wouldn't have come here." He then turned to her. "Sorry, I got worried when you didn't answer your phone."

"It's fine!" Sarada raised her hands in front of her and waved them. "I'm sorry for not responding. I lost track of time, too."

Kagura grinned. "You always do when you're having fun. You guys must have had a lot of things to talk about."

Boruto felt like Kagura had punched him in the gut. The way he looked at him made Boruto's smile twist. Kagura was a lot sharper than he let on.

Sarada shrugged. "Just about our families and life." She pushed Kagura back into her dorm and she held on to the doorknob. "Thank you again, Boruto. I'll see you."

He nodded. "Good night."

Kagura called from inside the room. "Good night, Boruto!"

Sarada closed the door, leaving Boruto alone in the dim hallway.

* * *

 **A/N: Just when things were going so well, huh? IGY is the story I get the most mixed reactions from. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. I like hearing your interpretation of it, and what you pick up from the chapters I write. I try to make it as real as possible for you, as this is a modern-day Uni AU. ^^**

 **I hope you do leave me a review to let me know what you think!**

 **Thank you for reading and havea good weekend.**

 **All my love,**

 **Kairi**


	22. When I'm With You

A/N: This is one of my favorite IGY chapters! Full of mindless BoruSara fluff. ^^ I also placed songs that go with certain scenes in here. You can find them on youtube or Spotify. Please do listen to the song while you read. It sets the mood so well. :)

I hope you enjoy listening and reading!

I don't own Naruto / Boruto.

* * *

Boruto chewed on his lower lip as he sat in his car, fingers tapping nervously at the steering wheel. He turned the radio on for the nth time, changed the station, only to turn it off again. Why was he so nervous? It was just a dinner with their moms and Hima. Totally normal. The residence of choice tonight was the Uchiha's.

His eyes lit up when she finally emerged from the dorm buildings. Boruto hastily got out of his car when he saw that she was carrying a duffel bag. He jogged up to her and took the bag.

"Laundry day?" He grinned.

Sarada chuckled. "Yeah. I forgot to do it yesterday. Gotta pack up a new set of clothes."

Boruto nodded. He placed the duffel bag at the back of the car as Sarada sat in the front passenger seat. Once Boruto got in the car, he noticed she was already buckled up, shoes off with her legs folded in front of her chest, and playing around with his stereo. "Just make yourself at home, ya know?" He smirked.

Sarada hooked her phone up on the radio and beamed a sunny smile at him. "I will, thank you."

 **In Love with a Broken Heart by Hedley**

Boruto shook his head, an amused smile on his face as he started the engine. Music started floating around his car and his smirk widened. "Why do you listen to such sappy music?"

She feigned hurt and playfully hit his shoulder. "It is not sappy. I love this song. Don't pretend like you don't."

He rolled his eyes as he drove out of the university grounds. "Yeah, yeah. Perfect for long drives."

"Exactly!" Sarada chirped. After a while, she started singing along, and Boruto found himself doing the same. "First stop is the supermarket, right?" He asked.

"Yup!" Sarada hugged her legs and rested her cheek on her knees. She looked at him and asked, "Hima-chan said she was coming, right?"

Boruto looked at his phone resting on the holder briefly before darting his eyes back on the road. "I texted her. Can you check if she replied?"

Sarada nodded and reached for his phone. She turned the phone on and punched in his passcode with ease as if it was her phone. "You haven't changed your passcode since high school," she commented as she scrolled through his messages.

He shrugged. "Just second nature to me, ya know?" When Sarada didn't reply after a few seconds he looked her way, only to find her pouting. "What is it? What did she say?"

"She said she isn't coming. She's got sex with Inojin planned for tonight since you aren't going to be home."

"WHAT?"

Sarada laughed and held his phone away from him and he tried to reach for it. "Calm down! I'm just kidding. She said she'll be at a friend's house for an assignment."

His shoulders relaxed and he stuck his tongue out at her. "Don't do that to me when I'm driving. I could kill us if I get a heart attack, ya know?" He whined.

She laughed again, turned his phone on sleep mode and placed it back on its holder. "You should just accept it already, Boruto. Hima-chan and Inojin are head over heels for each other. She's always had a crush on him."

"She used to have a crush on me!" Boruto cried dramatically, comical tears streaming down his cheek. "But seriously. She isn't going?"

"No," Sarada's tone deflated. "Sad she isn't coming. I thought we could bake sugar cookies like we used to."

"Yeah she was eight," Boruto muttered. "Let's bake something else, then. Still up for salmon?"

Sarada hummed in agreement. "Salmon and chocolate chip cookies. What do you say?"

"Oh damn," Boruto couldn't help but grin and look at her. "How can I say no to your chocolate chip cookies? You know I'd kill someone for those."

She giggled. "Please don't. I don't want to have to defend you in court."

Boruto snorted. "If you're defending me, my case is already won. Even with glaring evidence."

Was it just his imagination or was she blushing? Regardless, he kept his eyes on the road and bit his tongue. Those kinds of compliments weren't allowed anymore, he had to keep reminding himself. It was just so much easier to be a shameless flirt, ya know?

Then again, was it really flirting if he meant every single word? He has such confidence in her skills. Boruto knew she would be a great lawyer—the perfect person to lead the firm.

He swallowed. He still hasn't confessed to her yet. Maybe tonight would be a good opportunity. As long as it wouldn't feel weird after, he had nothing to worry about.

Their conversation then steered into a different direction, Sarada telling Boruto more information about their fathers' business trip. Apparently, they were headed to Waves Island. His eyebrows scrunched together, why would their fathers go all the way there?

"Kagura-kun's also been busy." Sarada looked out the window and sighed. "He's been spending less time on campus thanks to his internship in the city."

"Ah." Boruto has heard about it from Shikadai but paid it little mind. It just meant more time with Sarada for him. He mentally slapped himself. That was a low blow, and too selfish. "Miss him already?" He teased.

Sarada sighed again but did not reply. The air in the car dropped and Boruto mentally hit himself again for going down that road. Thank god they were already approaching the supermarket's parking lot. He pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. They both got out of the car and walked towards the entrance.

Neither of them spoke until Boruto got a cart and started pushing it behind her. She twirled around and asked, "you wanna get the salmon and I'll get the cookies?"

He blinked a few times before responding. "I'll just follow you around. We got time anyway, it's still early."

She grinned, "don't worry, if you get lost I'll ask them to page for a missing child."

He rolled his eyes but humored her. "Oh thank god! You know how lost I always feel whenever I'm away from you."

Sarada laughed. "Oh my god, are you flirting with me?"

Boruto waggled his eyebrows at her and grinned slyly, "That depends. Is it working enough to get lucky tonight?"

Sarada laughed again and then rolled her eyes. She turned around and started walking through the aisles, getting the ingredients they needed.

Boruto usually accompanied his mom on weekends for the groceries, but doing it with Sarada was a different experience. It was an absolute treasure just watching her. The way her shoulders looked so relaxed, how she mouthed the prices to herself and quickly read the ingredient labels before placing them on the cart was such a novel thing to him. They had done this a million times together over the short course of their lives, and yet something so mundane and domestic just felt so right with her.

Everything he did with her just felt so right.

 _Imagine living with Sarada and doing small things like these,_ he thought. _It would be the dream._

"Boruto?"

"Huh?" He snapped out of his daydream and blinked.

Her cheeks were puffed. Boruto took a wild guess and thought this was probably the second time she asked the question already. "I said, do you want semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips?"

"Ah!" He exclaimed. A light blush flushed his cheeks as he scratched the back of his neck. "What do you usually use? I just eat what you bake, ya know?"

She pursed her lips, took a bag from the shelf and placed it in the cart. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip and she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Never better."

Sarada narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before she proceeded with their shopping. Her phone started ringing and she took it from her pocket. She picked up and spoke as she scanned the shelves for the ingredients she needed. "Yes, Mama?"

Boruto watched on and listened to one side of the conversation.

"I'm at the grocery with Boruto..." she listened for a few seconds before she responded, "Okay, have fun. We'll have dinner ready by then... love you, too. Bye."

"What is it?"

She sighed. "They're having their hair and nails done. They said they'll be back at the house around seven or eight."

He raised his brows. "It's only three. That late?"

Sarada shrugged. "Mama probably doesn't want to cook."

 _Weird._ He would believe Sakura not wanting to cook, but his mom loved to cook.

Was everyone avoiding them today or something?

They finished their groceries and headed straight for the Uchiha Residence. They both unloaded the groceries and Boruto hooked his phone up to the speakers.

Sasuke didn't look like the type, but he was particular with music as well as the quality of the sound. He got the best speakers money could buy and hooked it up throughout the entire house. A low "ding!" Echoed throughout the kitchen and living spaces.

Boruto hit play and closed his eyes as the music filled the room. The quality was top notch, and it helped him feel every single note and lyric in the song.

 **I Like Me Better by Lauv**

"Damn I love the speakers in your house. It's the best."

Sarada's lips tugged upward as she rummaged through the groceries, the sound of scratching paper bags and food packages mixed in with the music. "You have Papa and Uncle Itachi's influence to thank."

"I'll send him a card," Boruto replied, a wide grin on his face. He padded over to the kitchen to help her prepare dinner. While Sarada prepared the Salmon, Boruto pulled the parsley out of the bag and washed it.

He sang along to the song quietly but sang a little louder when he heard Sarada doing the same. They looked at each other and started singing the chorus together, their heads bobbing and feeling the music.

The two moved around the kitchen, gathering the utensils needed. Even if the kitchen was fairly big, they kept on lightly bumping into each other. Arms and hips brushing as they moved around and worked together to cook their meal.

Singing the chorus and hook of the song while looking at each other felt so surreal for Boruto. For once, his blood wasn't rushing. Instead, he felt so relaxed, as if it was the most natural thing to say and do with Sarada. It seemed like she felt the same, as she sang her heart out in the kitchen with him.

Boruto put the parsley away and started dancing toward her. Sarada giggled and watched him come over. He took her hand in his and twirled her, she happily obliged and let him take the lead. They danced together in the kitchen, with nothing but the kitchenware as their witness.

The whole world melted away, the music drowning it all out. It was just the two of them in the house, holding on to each other's hands, singing and letting their worries float away. Boruto twirled her again, this time, he pulled her close to him and she giggled as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"We haven't done this in a while, have we?" She sighed.

Boruto held her close and swayed a bit as he inhaled her scent. It felt so right to have her in his arms, the song lyrics pouring out his heart's unspoken words. He never wanted to let her out of his hold. "I don't think we've ever done this," Boruto replied. He then pulled away and looked at her face, cheeks pink and dark eyes sparkling. "We really should change that."

"Dancing in kitchens?" Sarada scoffed. "We've done that a million times in parties—with alcohol of course."

He smirked, "Well, we don't need alcohol to have a good time, do we?"

She blinked a few times and smiled before she replied, "You're right, we don't."

The song kept playing, and Boruto's hand lowered, fitting snugly at the small of her back, lightly brushing the tips of her long, dark hair. Her hands that were resting on his chest slowly slid up to his collarbone, eyes locked on his.

Boruto swallowed thickly, and his eyes landed on her parted lips. They were so pink and inviting. Just a little more, and he could caress them with his own.

"We—we should get back to cooking," Sarada's voice was low and shaky as if she had run out of breath. "They might arrive earlier than expected."

"Yeah. You're right." His hand fell to his side, and Sarada peeled herself away from him and walked back to the counter. He stood there for two more seconds before he went back to chopping the parsley.

For a moment there, he thought she looked like she wanted him. Perhaps it was all in his head.

* * *

Boruto set the table while Sarada pulled the salmon out of the oven. The smell of fish, butter, and garlic filled the kitchen and wafted to the dining table. His stomach grumbled, excited to have a piece of their creation. "That smells so good, ya know?"

Sarada held the pan a little closer to her face and took a deep breath, a happy smile on her face. "It does, doesn't it? I'm excited. I hope Mama and Auntie Hinata are already on their way home."

Oh, right. Their mothers were supposed to be here.

"Here, let me call her." Putting the plate down, and pulling out his phone, he dialed his mom's number and pressed the phone to his ear. After a few rings, she answered. "Hey, mom! Where are you? Sarada just pulled the food out and—"

"Boruto! Sorry, but your Aunt Sakura and I are running late. Go ahead and eat without us."

His smile fell. "Eh? Umm.. okay. What time will you guys be back?"

"We're not sure… just go ahead without us. Enjoy the food. Bye!" Her voice was rushed, and nervous.

Boruto scrunched his eyebrows together. "Okay, mom. Bye." He looked at his phone and muttered, "that was weird."

"What is it?" Sarada asked as she placed the food down on the table. "Where are they?"

He looked at her and placed his phone back in his pocket. "They said to go ahead and eat. I don't know where they are, or what time they'll be back."

She quirked a brow up and her lips pursed. "That is weird, but…" she looked at the salmon and licked her lips. "Best we eat while it's hot?"

His shoulder shrugged up. "Sure, sounds good."

Since it was just the two of them, they decided to move to the breakfast table outside at the porch, looking over to the garden. It didn't take long for Boruto to reset the table as Sarada pulled out a bottle of white wine from her father's wine cabinet. She poured them a glass and sat down across each other. The warm light set a romantic glow.

Boruto and Sarada eagerly dug in, and he relished the blush on her cheeks when he complimented her cooking. She really is amazing. Smart, beautiful, can cook, and funny—simply _perfect._

They ate in comfortable silence, and halfway through, Boruto left the table to pull the cookies out of the oven. When he came back, Sarada was on her phone. Eyebrows scrunched together and a small pout on her lips.

"Hey, who're you texting?"

"Kagura-kun," she muttered, not looking up from the screen.

"Oh." Boruto sat back down and pulled his chair closer to the table. Before he could continue eating, Sarada dropped her phone on the table-screen first-and then sliced her salmon with a little too much force before shoving it in her mouth.

"Everything okay?"

"Perfect," she shot back.

He nodded and proceeded to eat his dinner. "Not talking about it, got it."

Sarada sighed. "Sorry. Things can just be so… annoying."

"I get that," Boruto responded and smiled. "We're going to finish this delicious dinner, eat cookies and watch movies and anime until we fall asleep tonight. No room for annoying things here."

A small smile graced her lips. "Exactly what I need. Thank you, Boruto."

He did a little mock boy and smiled, "at your service, my Lady."

But was she really _his_ lady?

* * *

"Did you bring it?"

"You bet," Boruto pulled out something small and silver from his pocket, a sly smile on his lips.

She blushed, but then recovered. "Is that… Why does it look like a-you seriously have a condom flash drive?"

"I won it at a Frat party," he grinned, obviously proud of his accomplishment.

"Sure you did," she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "Are you sure you didn't _steal_ it from someone at a Frat party?"

"Oi!" Boruto complained, "What do you think of me? I'm no thief!"

"Really?" She feigned shock. "And here I thought I found the culprit who stole my heart."

Boruto gasped and blushed furiously. He forgot how good Sarada was with these things when she was in the mood. His heart was beating wildly and although he felt embarrassed, he wished she would flirt like this with him more often. Rendered speechless and red in the face, he ducked behind the television and inserted the flash drive in the slot.

Sarada was still laughing as she turned it on, and pressed the buttons on the remote control. After a few seconds of it not showing up on the screen, she tried turning it off, and then on again.

Still nothing.

Boruto tried his luck with it, but still nothing.

"What did you have in there?" Sarada asked.

"A bunch of Disney and Ghibli, BNHA and FMA," he replied.

Her eyes widened. "You have Mulan?"

A sly grin formed on his face. "Ya know it."

With one quick movement, she was up on her feet and picked up the plate of cookies and milk on the center table. "Bring the flash drive. We can watch upstairs in my room on my laptop."

He froze. In her room? Just the two of them? What was the meaning of this? Before his imagination could get the better of him, Boruto shook his head and pulled the flash drive out of the TV. What was he thinking? This was Sarada. Spending time in each others' rooms is normal. They've been doing it for years. This was fine, nothing's going to happen. They're just going to watch Mulan on her laptop. Totally innocent and friendly. Nothing romantic happening here.

* * *

They started out lying down on their stomachs, chins propped up with pillows, shoulders, hips, and legs brushing under the covers as they watched the movie. After a few minutes, they changed positions and leaned back on the headboard, the laptop sitting on a pillow on Boruto's lap. Because of the angle, Sarada had to lean in a little closer to him to get a better view.

After Mulan, they changed the show to BNHA. Boruto was already pretty into it and caught up with the series, but since Sarada needed to catch up, he watched the older episodes with her. He was so into the show that he didn't realize how his arm ended up around her shoulders and Sarada's head was resting on his chest. A little later, and he noticed she was already snoring.

Boruto stopped the show and put the laptop away. A quick look at the clock told him it was well past midnight. Careful not to wake her, he slid down to a more comfortable position on the bed, with Sarada still holding on to his torso and lying on his chest.

They had so much fun that he forgot he had planned to confess to her. Too late now, she's fast asleep. He pulled the blanket up to cover their bodies and he stroked her cheek once. "That's not fair, ya know?" he whispered. "Falling asleep before I could tell you I love you."

Boruto turned his lips towards her forehead and planted a soft kiss before closing his eyes, wanting to join her to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of green eyes had witnessed the encounter.

* * *

A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters for various reasons. From the songs, domestic fluff, and that plot twist. hahaha. What was your favorite part of the story? :) Let me know by leaving a review!


	23. Time Apart

**Hello, darling! It's been such a long time. Thank you so much for your continuous support for this fic. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto.**

* * *

Sarada slowly opened her eyes and shifted by the tiniest bit on her bed. She closed her eyes again and turned to lie down on her stomach, her face landing on another pillow.

It smelled different.

Sarada took a deep breath.

 _It's Boruto's smell._

She smiled to herself and clutched onto the pillow. His smell was all over her bed, on her covers, on her skin, and she liked it.

Sarada opened her eyes again and recalled the things that happened the night before. She doesn't remember when she fell asleep, but the feeling of leaning on his chest and his warmth seeping through her clothes and into her body was unforgettable. She buried her face on the pillow and took it all in. He said something to her, or was she dreaming? Vaguely, Sarada recalled him whispering something to her, but she couldn't remember what he was saying.

Just when she was close to remembering, someone entered her room.

"Sarada?"

Sarada moaned lightly and peeked at her guest. "Good morning, Mama."

Sakura smiled and walked towards her, she sat on the edge and smoothed out Sarada's messy hair. "I'm sorry about last night, darling. Hinata and I got carried away."

Sarada shook her head and smiled sleepily. "It's okay."

Her mother's smile widened. "Did you have fun with Boruto last night?"

She shrugged one shoulder up. "Just the usual things with Boruto."

Sakura hummed and nodded. "Of course... Kagura-kun's downstairs."

Suddenly, Sarada felt wide awake. "What? Why?"

Her mother laughed. "You tell me, darling. He's having breakfast. I told him to go ahead while you go clean up first."

Sarada opened her mouth to say something, but her mother interrupted her, "No, darling. He doesn't know he was here."

Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled gratefully at her mother. "Thanks, Mama."

Sakura nodded and stroked her hair. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Of course."

What was there to talk about anyway? _Nothing._ Last night was just about two friends hanging out, right? Then why did she feel so relieved, and ashamed to let Kagura know that she had spent an evening with a guy who _wasn't_ him?

Once Sakura left, Sarada rolled out of bed and padded over to her bathroom. This wasn't the first time Kagura surprised her with his presence. She was just grateful her father wasn't around today. Sarada tied her hair into a ponytail and proceeded to wash her face and brush her teeth. After she finished, she changed her shirt and pulled on an oversized blue sweater with little snake prints on it that Mitsuki gifted her a few years back and pulled on a pair of shorts.

She made her way to the kitchen and spotted Kagura sitting at the bar, talking to Sakura as she sipped on her coffee. Sarada's eyes met with her mothers' for a moment before Kagura looked over his shoulder and spotted her.

"Good morning, Sarada-chan," he greeted and walked over to her, a charming smile on his face.

"Good morning," Sarada replied.

Kagura kissed her cheek, but all she could do was look at him and smile. "What brings you here?"

"I know it's rude, and I'm sorry." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "But I really wanted to talk to you before I left."

"Leave?" Sarada repeated. She looked at her mother, who only nodded and left the kitchen, giving them some privacy.

"Yeah… leave…" Kagura shifted his gaze away before saying, "I'm traveling back to Waves Island, where my family is. I'll be… spending the rest of my internship period at my grandfather's firm."

She blinked, confusion swimming in her features. "I—I don't understand. That's for another eight weeks."

"I know!" Kagura sighed sadly. "I'm really sorry. I'll try to come over here for the weekends as much as I can to see you, though." He moved closer and placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled softly, "or maybe you can come to me over the weekend? There are holidays coming up. It'll be fun."

"I won't get to see you as often again," she muttered.

Kagura frowned and pulled her into a hug. Sarada was at a loss for words. She had already started seeing him less and less for the past few weeks but if he's moving back to Waves Island, which is a plane ride away, that meant seeing him for the next two months would be impossible.

"It's… It's okay," she said. "This is a good opportunity for you. You should take it." Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around his middle and sighed. Was she _really_ okay with it, though? She felt lonely enough without him around. Then again, she could always spend more time with Boruto instead. Wait— _what?_

His voice was shaky, "Thank you, Sarada-chan," Kagura pulled away slightly to see her face and smiled. "I promise I'll do my best to come to see you as often as I can. We can Skype call every night, too."

"Y-yeah," Sarada forced herself to smile.

He leaned in and kissed her. Sarada closed her eyes and kissed him back but when memories from the night before flashed in her mind, and she recalled how close Boruto's lips were to her own, she broke the kiss and looked away.

Kagura looked surprised and confused. Her cheeks flushed, and she hastily excused her behavior with a lie. "Sorry… Mama's here, you know?"

"O-oh. Right. Sorry!" He took a step back and apologized again.

"When is your flight?" Sarada asked.

"I've got two hours before I need to go."

Sarada nodded and smiled. "Cuddles before you go then?"

Kagura grinned. "I would love that. Can I have kisses, too?"

She laughed. "Sure, let's go to the den."

* * *

 **A/N: The plot thickens.**

 **How have you been, darling? I hope you've been doing well. I've been really crazy busy lately. From work to family and forming new relationships. I've had very little time to write lately, but I do try to sneak it in every now and then. I also have some other WIPs I've been working on. Stay tuned for those!**

 **Do leave me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter. I would love to hear from you!**

 **All my love,**

 **Kairi**


	24. Replacement

**Hello, darling! Thank you for the reviews you left me in the last chapter. I know it's been a long wait, and I promise to try updating weekly again. :) I haven't been writing so much lately, but I'm trying my best to get back into the swing of things. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto.**

* * *

The bell rang, and she packed up her belongings as the professor said some last-minute reminders about their paper submission. Sarada walked out of her class, and the first face she saw was none other than—

"Boruto!"

"Hey!" He was leaning on the wall with his hands in his pockets. "Let's get lunch together, Sarada."

She smiled and replied, "sure."

They had the same lunch break, who knew? Sarada had been so caught up spending all her break times with Kagura that she didn't notice she had a lot of common free time with her friends. Her worries of eating and being alone all the time suddenly disappeared. It was nice to be able to spend time with the rest of the bunch, and it was so surprising that she and Boruto nearly had the same schedule and she never knew.

.

.

.

"Eight weeks?" Boruto gaped at her. "That's too damn long. Are you two going to be okay?"

Sarada leaned back on the tree and pulled her scarf up to cover her mouth. It was starting to get chilly, as autumn had finally arrived. She hugged her knees and forced a smile. "Of course. Two months isn't that bad, right?"

Boruto placed his coffee down on the grass and frowned. "I guess not but… have you two ever been apart that long?"

She shook her head and her eyes drooped. "I don't think I've ever been apart from anyone that long."

He smirked. "Certainly not me. I don't remember when we haven't seen each other for more than two weeks."

She was quiet. He was right. The two of them have never been apart longer than two weeks, and this was usually because their families would go on vacation during the holidays. But other than that—Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, birthdays, anniversaries, and even sometimes during family reunions, they would see each other. For a moment, Sarada reflected on this, what if it were Boruto who had to go away for eight weeks? Would she also feel this unsettled, or would she be devastated?

"Hey…" Boruto squeezed her shoulder and she finally met his gaze. His eyes were soft, and full of concern. "You got me, ya know? Just call me whenever you need help or whenever you feel lonely." He then grinned. "Like I always am, ya know."

 _Like he always is…_

Sarada smiled. "I know. Thank you."

The cold wind blew through the tree, rustling the branches, and causing some of the leaves to fall to the ground. There was something about the way the warm summer breeze had gone, and the green leaves turned orange and brown that sent a foreboding feeling to Sarada's stomach.

.

.

.

During Kagura's first week away, Sarada had always been on her phone. It really wasn't like her to be holding on to it, checking it constantly, and replying the moment she got a text.

Boruto sat next to her during one of their lecture classes. He rested his chin on his palm and boredly watched her smile as she composed her reply.

 _I have never seen her so happy._

Until now, she still seemed so, and it tore his heart apart knowing how much she misses Kagura. Once their class ended, the students got up and started packing up, but Sarada was still stuck in her seat, furiously texting away as she bit her lower lip, to stop herself from grinning too much. Boruto rolled his eyes. He has had enough of this.

In one smooth move, Boruto pulled Sarada's phone out of her hands and slipped it in his front right pocket.

"Hey! Give it back, Boruto!" Sarada glared.

"Get up, Four Eyes." He glared back. "Class is over."

Her eyes went wide and she looked around the lecture hall. It was completely empty, even the professor had already gone. "Oh… Sorry, I didn't notice."

"No shit, Sarada," Boruto spat. "You didn't even write down a single word from the lecture."

Her gaze then shifted to her notebook, void of any notes. She blinked and then frowned before packing it all away in her bag.

Boruto felt her phone vibrate in his pocket, but he ignored it. As soon as Sarada placed everything in her bag, he picked it up and slinged it over his shoulder before walking out of the room. "Come on," he said, without looking at her. "We're going to be late for our next class."

Later that day, Sarada had an argument with Boruto. They fought over Sarada's lack of focus during class since she was too preoccupied with her phone, and Boruto's snippy remarks on how her grades could slip if she kept this up.

" _I don't need you to lecture me, Boruto!" Sarada shouted. "Give me my phone back. You have no right to confiscate it!"_

" _I'm trying to be a good friend, here!" Boruto yelled back. "You're aiming for those Latin Honors, aren't you? You think you're going to get that by being on your phone during class?"_

Sarada closed her eyes and covered her face with a pillow. He was only trying to help, and yet she had said so many hurtful things to Boruto. She slid the pillow to her chest and hugged it while she scrolled through her phone. Just a little while earlier, she sent Boruto a text, apologizing. He read the message, but didn't reply. It's been more than ten minutes, and it was strange as Boruto usually replied the moment he received a message.

She put her phone down and sighed. First her boyfriend moves away, and now Boruto won't speak to her.

Fucking _perfect._

Boruto didn't bother having breakfast that day, neither did he get a cup of coffee at Ninbucks. What was the point, he only ever went there because Sarada did. Since he was still angry with her, he chose to be stubborn and not text her. But was he really being stubborn or jealous?

He frowned at the thought.

Sure, Kagura was away, and he was just doing Sarada a favor by sticking close so she won't feel lonely. Any good friend would do that, right?

 _You're just waiting for them to crack, and when they do, you'll be stealing her right away._

Boruto clenched his fists. _No, I'm not._ He told himself. Kagura and Sarada are together, and even if Boruto loves Sarada, he would never tear them apart. Kagura's his friend, too. Plus, Boruto was confident that Kagura would never do anything to hurt Sarada. All he ever did was make her happy.

 _But do you really know that, for real?_

He growled at his own self-doubt and the demons whispering.

 _Is it so wrong to love her? Is it bad to want her for yourself?_

His immediate thought was _yes_ , but now that his classroom was coming into view and he saw the prettiest girl with long dark hair and eyes standing by the door, holding two cups of Ninbucks coffee and looking at him with an apologetic smile, all of his troubles faded away. Boruto found himself walking faster to come to meet her, and a smile growing on his face.

She smiled at him and handed him a cup. Boruto looked at it and saw that there was a post-it, and in her handwriting it said, "sorry :("

How could he have the heart not to forgive her?

Boruto took the post-it, placed it in his pocket and extended his arm out for her. Sarada grinned and leaned into him for a hug, burying her face in his chest.

As her comforting warmth filled him, Boruto presses his lips to the top of her head and inhaled. As her scent invade his senses and clouded his mind, Boruto's answer changed to, _no_.

* * *

 **Oh my. All is fair in love and war, right? Or not? Hmm... The plot thickens even further.**

 **Please do leave me a review with your thoughts about this chapter! I would love to hear your theories of what will happen next, and what Boruto and Sarada might do. What about Kagura, though? Do you think he knows what's going on?**

 **Have a great week ahead, darling!**

 **All my love,**

 **Kairi**


	25. Which Idiot

A/N: I really have to keep up with my ffnet posting. Sorry for the wait!

Beta read by: SandPancakeCat on tumblr

 **I don't own Naruto or Boruto.**

* * *

Sitting around the table were Shikadai, Yodo, Inojin and on the opposite side were Mitsuki, Chocho and Sarada.

"Nice to see you again, Yodo," Sarada smiled. "How long will you be in town?"

She smiled back and responded, "A few weeks, maybe. I'll be staying until after Halloween." Yodo then turned to face Shikadai, "Someone successfully _begged_ me to stay."

Shikadai's cheeks colored and he looked away. "The desert is far from here. You might as well maximize your plane ticket and stay longer during your fall break."

Yodo hummed and then looked over at Sarada, "How about you, Sarada? How're you doing? Saw some _pretty interesting_ photos in your instagram. He's cute, by the way."

Sarada blushed at her comment, she wasn't always active on Instagram, but then again, she had been posting more than usual ever since she got together with Kagura since he insisted she be more active.

"Which guy are you talking about, Yodo?" Inojin snickered. "Sarada's got so many falling at her feet you gotta clarify."

Sarada gritted her teeth and glared at Inojin, who only grinned innocently in response.

Before she could give a witty comeback, Chocho added, "I gotta agree with Inojin on this one, Sara-chan," she teased, but Sarada knew Chocho never joked about such things. There was more weight in her comment than she let on. "I can't tell who you're really together with these days, is it Kagura or Boruto?"

"Boruto?" Yodo echoed. "I thought you had a boyfriend—Kagura, right? Saw your photos, and he's got a lot of you on his page."

"She's together with Kagura," Shikadai confirmed before adding with a smirk, "I _think_." He then looked at Sarada. "You've been spending _a lot_ of time with Boruto lately, though… Is it because Kagura's away?"

Sarada's fists clenched under the table. What was with everyone attacking her about this? "Boruto and I are friends-best friends. It's only natural we spend time together."

"Sure it is," Chocho agreed. "You got him eating out of the palm of your hand, though." She took a big bite of her burger, still looking smug as fuck.

Her blood was boiling. Everyone had to stop or else she would burst. Why was this such a big deal, anyway? "We're just friends." She insisted.

"Friends wait for you outside of class, picks you up and brings you home, goes to your house for dinner and a movie, _sleeps over,_ " Inojin wiggled her eyebrows at Sarada, "and sleeps on the same bed with you. Isn't that right, Sarada- _chan_?"

Yodo lifted her brow and muttered, "I don't know Boruto that well, but he sounds like a bottom."

Her whole face turned beet red. How the fuck did Inojin know about what happened? She didn't tell a soul, not even Chocho or Mitsuki. And that comment from Yodo-that was a low blow. Boruto always took care of Sarada, he cared about her, that much she knew and appreciated. And she cared about him, too! But that description… a _bottom?_ No fucking way. Boruto would do any of that for any of his friends.

"Oh?" Mitsuki tipped his head to the smile, an unsettling smile on his face. "I know we usually sleep on the same bed during our sleepovers, but I have never seen you and Boruto sleeping on the same one without me… did you not invite me for some reason?"

Fear and anxiety rose inside of Sarada. Oh shit. This was bad. Mitsuki surely wasn't upset, but he had a point, why didn't they invite him? It didn't matter that their mothers were there, both of them loved Mitsuki like a son. And it was more than normal to have him around. In fact, now that she thought about it, it _did_ look suspicious why they didn't invite him.

She bit her lip and hid her face behind her hands. Feelings of shame and guilt engulfed her. What was she doing? Kagura's her boyfriend-not Boruto. It almost felt like she was-

"There's no need to feel bad, Sarada." Inojin grinned.

Tentatively, she placed her hands down. "Really?" This was weird. _Inojin_? Comforting her? Were pigs suddenly flying today?

"Yeah!" He chirped. "I mean, if you think about it, Boruto's the one who should feel bad."

Sarada's face fell. _What? What is he talking about?_

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, if you think about it, Boruto's stuck with _Boyfriend Duties_."

Shikadai snickered. "Yeah, while Kagura gets all the benefits."

Something inside Sarada snapped. No one was allowed to talk about her, her relationships, or Kagura and Boruto this way. No one. Suddenly, she got up to her feet, a scowl on her face. "You don't know what you're talking about!" She shouted. "None of you do. _I love Kagura_ , and Boruto's _just a friend_."

All eyes were on her. Usually, whenever Sarada was angry, no one would even dare say another word, but Inojin challenged her. "That's a heavy statement. Have you even told Kagura you loved him yet?"

Sarada swallowed. _No, she hasn't._

When she fell silent, Inojin snickered. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Yodo cut in. "Boruto's being an idiot, hanging around her when she's already taken."

"Boruto is an idiot," Chocho nodded solemnly. "And he may just never recover."

"Stop talking about him that way!" Sarada snapped. "He may be an idiot, but he's _my_ idiot! You think you know me and him, but you don't. None of you do!" She was talking way too fast and far too loud, and the whole restaurant was staring at her. She gasped and covered her mouth. What did she just say? Did she just _claim_ Boruto as _hers?_

Mitsuki smiled. " _Your_ idiot… Sounds about right, Sarada."

Her face turned red and suddenly her mouth went dry. She did not just say that. She did not. "I-I-that came out wrong," she stuttered.

"Oh nooo," Chocho grinned. "I think that came out exactly like how it was supposed to."

Even her best friend was against her. Really? What kind of treachery is this?

"The truth does come out, no matter how much we hide it," Inojin added smugly.

Yodo sighed. "Hold on, let me get this straight, you're telling me that you have a boyfriend, yet you're in love with someone else?" She quirked her brow up. "That's messed up, Sarada."

"I don't love him!" Sarada denied. Even if she was so sure in her heart she meant this statement with her entire being, she wasn't so sure which "him" she was referring to.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please do drop me a review to let me know what you think. They make my day.

I have until chapter 32 written out already. I just need to keep up with my weekly posting schedule. ^^; Thank you so much for your continuous support!

Write on, darling.


	26. Out of Habit

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has supported, read, and reviewed this chapter fic of mine! It means a lot to me to hear from all of you, and know that you all wait for an update. ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto.**

* * *

Tonight, Boruto decided to shrug off his worries and just enjoy his drink. He hadn't been to a party in a while. It felt a little strange being back in this scene, especially since Sarada wasn't with him. Mitsuki and Sarada drove back to her house since Sakura had a case to go over with him. Sarada had also been a little moody, but he decided to drop it.

Shikadai and Inojin were here with him, though. It was the two of them who convinced Boruto to come to the party, anyway. Boruto had finally told them about his feelings towards Sarada and they didn't even have the decency to pretend to be surprised. Nope. All he got was an eye roll from Shikadai and a sassy remark from Inojin, "you just figured that out now?"

Just remembering how unremorseful his friends were was enough to make him dent the can of beer in his hand. The little vein in his forehead was beginning to throb. Honestly. Those two could be such smug little shits sometimes. Boruto didn't simmer in annoyance for long, as two girls approached him.

His whole demeanor suddenly changed. A bright smile plastered itself on his face, and he shifted his body, giving off a more relaxed vibe. "Hey!"

This was easy. Familiar. _Natural_.

Boruto's handsome features matched with his genuine charm had everyone falling at his feet. Either everyone wanted to be with him, or _be_ him. Two girls talking to him at a party was nothing new. A running joke in their close circle of friends was that if you needed to find Boruto, just look for a crowd - he would most likely be in the middle. There's a good reason why Mitsuki called Boruto "The Sun." Everyone just gravitated towards him.

"Boruto-kun."

He looked over his shoulder and spotted a familiar face. He grinned and automatically threw his arm around her shoulders. "Sumire!"

She smiled warmly and comfortably slipped her arm around his waist as she leaned into his chest. Boruto gave her lips a quick kiss. He pulled back and leaned his head on hers for a while until he felt they were being watched. Not only were the two girls staring, but Inojin and Shikadai were also looking - _glaring_ \- at him.

Boruto instantly removed his arm from her shoulders and took a step away. "S-sorry about that! I wasn't thinking!"

The poor girl looked confused, and a little hurt that he had recoiled from her as quickly as he had touched her. "Oh, no." She raised her hands in front of her and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's fine, Boruto-kun. I'm sorry, too."

Shikadai clamped one hand on Boruto's left shoulder, while Inojin clamped a hand on Boruto's right. They both pulled him away from the three girls firmly.

"Excuse this idiot, ladies," Shikadai drawled, and then smiled apologetically.

"He's just a real flirt, best you stay away from the likes of him." Inojin grinned.

The two of them dragged him out into the balcony and tossed him on the rail. Boruto staggered and placed his hands on the cool metal railing to steady himself.

Inojin closed the door behind them, and Shikadai lit a cigarette.

He took a drag and blew out slowly as he glared at Boruto. "What the hell was that?"

"I…" Boruto looked down and muttered, "I don't know. It just happened."

Inojin stepped forward and raised a brow. "You mean you kissing Sumire's lips was an _accident?"_ He crossed his arms and then scoffed. "Next thing I know you'll tell me you sleeping with her was also an accident."

Boruto felt his comment sting. There were so many things being left unsaid between the three of them on this balcony, and the air was heavy. Shikadai and Inojin didn't need to say anything for Boruto to know what they meant. It was wrong for him to do this.

Every single girl he dated and played around with - they were all scapegoats for his real feelings. He was too scared to own up to the one girl his heart really longed for. And now, he was falling back into his old habits, just after one day of not seeing her, after one day of Sarada being moody.

"She's… she's not even my girlfriend," Boruto gritted out. "Why do you need to call me out like this?"

"Calling you out on your bullshit is what we do, Boruto." Shikadai shrugged. "Isn't that why you told us?"

"Practically begged us to keep you in check." Inojin snickered. "But you're right, Sarada isn't yours. She's with Kagura, still. And you know where she left off to, don't you?"

He did know. And yet, he did not want to admit it. He wasn't the one Sarada ran to when she was upset. No. It was Kagura. Normal, and completely expected. But it still hurt like a fucker.

Shikadai took a drag and blew the smoke out slowly as he looked at the stars in the sky. "Old habits die hard, Boruto. But you really gotta stop denying how you feel in front of her. It's too troublesome."

Boruto took in a deep breath and nodded his head. His friends were right and he really should have listened sooner. He should have told Sarada when they were younger how he really felt about her instead of lying to himself that he was content having her as a friend. That he could take watching her love someone else.

"She's happy with Kagura, ya know?" He forced a grin. "I'm a flirt, not a homewrecker."

Inojin looked heavenward. "You're such an idiot, Boruto. Who said anything about breaking them up? You don't know what Sarada will do after you tell her."

 _Ouch. Thanks for nothing, Inojin._

"You're just going to tell her," Shikadai shrugged. "No harm in that, right? If she rejects you, then too bad. If she decides to leave Kagura, that's on her. She doesn't seem too into him lately if you ask me."

Boruto felt his stomach twist. How could his friends say that? True enough, his confession wasn't a sure shot that Sarada would leave Kagura for him. A million things could happen but one thing was for sure - someone was going to get hurt. Boruto wished with all his might it wouldn't be Sarada. Kagura didn't deserve to get hurt like this, too. But what about him? Didn't he deserve to have his suffering end, too?

"Someone's going to get hurt." Boruto clenched his fists.

"Someone always gets hurt," Inojin chuckled and then continued, "What can you do?"

 _Nothing._ It was an option. Painful, but still an option.

He could confess, ease his burden. Although he would essentially be passing it on to Sarada.

What would Sarada do once she heard him confess?

Reject Boruto.

Leave Kagura.

In any case, she would be hurt.

Boruto took a deep breath. "I'll think about it, alright?"

"Don't think about it," Shikadai rolled his eyes. "Just do it already and get it over with. The longer you stretch this out, the more it'll hurt."

Inojin put his arm out and made a motion as if he was removing something quickly from his arm. "Like a band-aid, bitch."

* * *

A/N: Oooh. All these grey areas, advice, and options make my moral compass tick. If you were Shikadai and Inojin, what would you advise Boruto? Is what they're doing wrong or justifiable? I love getting into debates about these things. Hihi. Let me know what you think by leaving me a review!

Another chapter will be up next week! Thank you for reading!

Write on, darling.


	27. Lights On

**A/N:** Hello, darling! Here is the next chapter, we get a look at Kagura and Sarada's relationship and into Kagura's mind for a bit. Hehe.

 **Warning:** This chapter is T+ for implied sexual activities

 **Sound Track:** Lights On by Shawn Mendes. Please listen to the song as you read. It makes the experience better!

 **Beta read by:** Spacerune on tumblr

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto/Boruto

* * *

He held on to her hands, and slowly lead her into the bright room. The open window let the salty breeze in, making the white, light curtains sway and dance. The dark wood creaked under their weight as they walked towards the middle of the room. He squeezed her hand, barely containing his grin.

"You're smiling like an idiot right now, aren't you?" she asked. Her tone was meant to sound annoyed, yet the smile on her face betrayed her.

His laughter filled the air, mingled with the sound of the chimes in the far corner of the terrace that overlooked the ocean. The waves crashed gently, in perfect sync with the wind.

He did not respond, in turn, she pouted.

"Kagura-kuuun," Sarada whined. "You're teasing me!"

Kagura laughed a little louder and pulled her closer to him. Before he could envelop her in a hug, he stopped and removed the blindfold from her eyes. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. The smile never left his lips, he pulled out her eyeglasses and put them on her face.

He waited for her eyes to adjust and watched her as she took in her surroundings. "It's beautiful." She breathed.

Kagura smiled. "Not as beautiful as you, Sarada-chan."

She returned his smile and wrapped her arms around his middle. Kagura encircled her in a warm hug and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He breathed in her scent and sighed. He was glad to be with her again. It had been far too long.

"I missed you," she mumbled.

"I missed you, too," he responded. "Not a moment went by that I didn't think of you."

Sarada snickered but tightened her hold around his waist. "You sound so cheesy."

Kagura chuckled and poked her side playfully. "It's only cheesy if it's not true."

She giggled and snuggled closer to his chest. It melted Kagura's heart, making him hold her as close as possible. The past few weeks without her were rough. He missed her so much and overcompensated with texting, calling and sending her gifts. When he received a call that she was coming to visit - it was so sudden, and short notice - but that didn't stop him from planning the perfect weekend for them.

This was Sarada's first trip to Waves Island. Kagura didn't want to screw it up. There were so many things he wanted to show her, so many things he wanted her to experience with him. But the way she sounded when she gave him a call made him rethink showing her around the city. Instead, he booked the best suite in the best resort, just for her.

She sounded so distressed when he received her call. He wanted to ask her so many questions, what was causing her stress? Why the sudden decision to fly? Not that he was going to complain about the latter, but it did worry him. Sarada never did anything too rash unless her emotions were running high. Whatever it was, he was going to do his best to make sure she would better after this weekend.

"It feels good to be with you again," she mumbled.

Her words warmed his heart. She may have never told him, 'I love you' but she always expressed it in her own little ways. Perhaps she could show him in other ways she loved him, too.

Kagura pulled away to look at her face. She looked up at him, and slowly, got on her tiptoes to bring her face closer to his. Kagura cupped her face and their lips met.

Softly. Gently.

Their lips caressed each other, after a while, their tongues came into play and Sarada moaned, igniting a fire in Kagura's belly. He pulled her closer to deepen the kiss, and her hands stroked his chest. She gave him a slight push, bringing him to sit on the bed.

Kagura's eyes clouded over and leaned back on his arms to support his weight. His eyes widened, and his lips parted when Sarada straddled his lap and cupped his face in her hands. She gave him a passionate kiss on his lips before she moved to kiss his ear. Heat filled his body as she licked and nibbled his earlobe, all the way down to his neck.

Sarada ground her hips against him and Kagura groaned. Kami. Only she could have this effect on him. His fingers inched to the hem of her shirt, and he looked at her face, asking for permission. She smirked and guided his hands to remove her shirt and she tossed it to the side. The way she looked at him with smoldering eyes made him want to ravish her already.

"I want you," she breathed. "I want to do it."

He heard the words, but he couldn't believe she actually said it. He blinked at her for a moment, but she didn't hesitate. Sarada pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor before grinding on him again. This time, she closed her eyes and moaned. " _Please_."

Oh god.

Kagura's excitement tripled. She had been putting it off for such a long time, and now here she was, _begging_ for it. He swallowed and spoke slowly. "Are you sure?"

She nodded and pushed him down on the bed. Her voice never wavered. "Yes."

He took in a shaky breath before switching their positions. Kagura hovered over her and searched her face again for any trace of doubt—any lack of conviction. Her dark eyes hooded over, lips slightly parted. Her dark hair was a mess, but she looked perfect. Carefully, he pushed the stray locks away from her face and whispered, "tell me when you want me to stop…"

Sarada stroked his face. "I don't want you to."

.

.

.

After recovering from her high and feeling remarkably well spent, Sarada shifted and turned to face Kagura. His eyes were closed, but she knew he was awake. Gently, she caressed the side of his face and then traced the scar under his eye with her index finger. Kagura inhaled deeply and then smiled.

His hand came up to hold hers and he kissed her knuckles. "How was it?"

She returned his smile, a slight blush coming up to her cheeks. "Indescribable."

Kagura chuckled and pulled her close to him. "Want to do it again?"

"We should turn the lights off first," she giggled.

"No, I like the lights on." He kissed her forehead. "I want to see you."

She blushed an even deeper color of red and hid her face on his neck, making him laugh. Sarada felt so embarrassed, but she also felt some guilt.

Half of the reason why she wanted the lights off was because when they were making love, it wasn't his face she wanted to see, but someone else's.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ooohh. That plot twist, though. Did you see it coming?

Please do leave me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter! :)

Thank you for reading!


	28. Insecurities

**A/N:** Hello, darling! The last chapter was a twist, wasn't it? hehehe. Here is the next one, and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for following, reading, and reviewing. I always look forward to seeing what you think of how the story is going! hihi.

Beta read by: sandpancakecat on tumblr!

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto.**

* * *

He sat on the bed and scrolled through Instagram, checking his notifications. Kagura didn't draw or write stories, but he did have an eye for aesthetically pleasing photos. He loved taking pictures of ordinary and seemingly mundane things but putting a new twist to make it look interesting, or generally snapping photos of anything he thought was beautiful. His favorite subject was finally with him again, and it pleased him so much that she allowed him to take a lot of photos of her.

Throughout the day, he indulged in taking both candid and arranged photos of her, and selfies of the two of them. He opened his latest post and looked at the photos again, one by one, as he recalled what happened earlier.

During breakfast, he took a photo of Sarada sitting in front of him, enjoying her cup of coffee, a plate of waffles with cream and strawberries waiting for her. Her hair was slightly blowing with the salty breeze, and the morning light was making her hair shine and skin glow. She looked perfect. The sea behind her was just a bonus.

They spent ample time on the beach, and although he enjoyed spending time with her under the afternoon sun, golden hour was the best time to snap up photos. He took a candid photo of her walking into the water during sunset. It was against the light, and you could see nothing but the pink and orange sky, the sparkling ocean, and her curvy silhouette, with her head slightly turned back to look at him.

The last photo was of her lying in bed, hair mussed, and slightly peeping at him from behind a pillow.

He felt pleased that his newest post had more than two hundred likes and a number of comments. It was mostly from Sarada's friends, telling her that she looked lovely. A few comments from his friends, telling him to enjoy. But there was one in particular that caught his attention.

 _LightingBoltUzumaki: Looks like you're having fun over there KaguraKaratachi :P_

Kagura's eyes lit up. This was it. This was his chance. Finally, he had the upper hand. He sent his post to Boruto in a private message and started typing up his message. His pink eyes reflected the light on the screen, his ego boosting with every word he typed.

 _KaguraKaratachi: Dude. She initiated and loved it. I thought things were getting rocky between us, but I guess we just needed a little space to get back on track. Thank you for the help, too. Appreciate it, bro._

He hit send and took a deep breath. Kagura thought of himself as an understanding and reasonable man, but he had never felt this strongly for anyone before. He loves Sarada and wants her affection for him, and him alone. Was it so much to ask for? _Certainly not._ Random people told him that Sarada would be a little stiff at times, but changed whenever she was with her close group of friends—especially Boruto.

Boruto.

Her aura whenever he was around was completely different. She was comfortable, she let her walls down, and would laugh without a care at his jokes. Whenever Kagura was with Sarada, he strived to make her feel this way, determined to make her even happier in _his_ presence. Kagura's lips pressed into a line as he received the notification that Boruto read his message. The three dots appeared, for a moment, and he pulled the phone a little closer, anticipating Boruto's response. But nothing was sent through.

Kagura took a deep breath and leaned back on the headboard, the fluffy white pillows making him feel comfortable, and the fact that Boruto no longer responded set him at ease. And then, a wave of guilt washed over him. Was that too much? Did he really have to tell him that? Kagura read his message again and then turned his screen off. He let out a sigh and tipped his head back until he was looking at the ceiling.

"Why the deep sigh?" Sarada came out of the bathroom in a short nightie. Her long dark hair was still damp, and she was drying it with a towel.

He looked at her and his guilt disappeared. No, he did not feel guilty. Sarada's his girlfriend. Boruto-and the entire world-should know that. He placed his phone on the bedside table and opened his arms out for her. She giggled and slipped into bed with him, resting her head on his chest and cuddling close.

Kagura turned to face her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She smelled so good, and she fit so perfectly in his embrace. There was no way they weren't meant to be.

"Aren't you going to tell me what you're thinking about?" Her voice was light but curious.

"Nothing," he denied. "Just scrolling through Instagram."

Sarada laughed and lazily drew circles on his chest as she spoke. "What? Didn't get enough likes?"

He snorted. "Photos of you always get the most likes. My followers know a pretty subject when they see one." Kagura looked at her and she looked up at him. Her cheeks were tinted pink, from his compliment.

He closed the distance between their lips and gave her a kiss, willingly losing himself in her taste and feeling like he had finally won her over Boruto.

* * *

A/N: My heart really hurts for Kagura-kun :( What about you? What would you do, or feel if you were in his shoes? Were his actions justified? Do let know by leaving me a review!

Thank you for reading and have a good week ahead!


	29. Check List

**A/N: Hello, lovelies! Back this week with another chapter! Your reviews in the previous chapter were such a delight to read! Seeing your perspectives and thoughts really put a smile on my face. Knowing that this story is making you all feel things means I'm getting the message across! hahaha. Here is the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. ^^**

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto.**

* * *

"Boys night out!" Inojin cheered, as he raised a shot glass in the air. Shikadai, Boruto, and Mitsuki raised their shot glasses.

"Cheers!" They clinked their glasses and swallowed the liquid in one go.

Boruto cleared his throat and placed the shot glass down on the table, feeling the hot liquid trickle down his throat. His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was an Instagram notification. He raised his brow and clicked on the banner and waited for his screen to load. The bar didn't have very good reception, and usually, he would ignore his phone, but it was from Kagura. Boruto recalled commenting on one of his photos of Sarada.

His heart tightened. Initially, Boruto commented before he even saw the other photos. By the time he saw Sarada's photo in bed, he nearly dropped his phone.

 _They couldn't have._ He thought.

When his screen finally loaded, he saw the message.

 _KaguraKaratachi: Dude. She initiated and loved it. I thought things were getting rocky between us, but I guess we just needed a little space to get back on track. Thank you for the help, too. Appreciate it, bro._

His world stopped. This was something no amount of alcohol could fix.

.

.

.

"He's _your_ friend!" Chocho whispered furiously. "Not saying he isn't mine as well, but like!" She waved her hands towards Boruto. Slumped on the bar's couch and refusing to get up or say a word. "Can't you do _something_?"

"We tried carrying him," Inojin shrugged a shoulder up. "But he's being really difficult."

"When is he _ever_ not?" She rolled her eyes and looked at Boruto again. Mitsuki was sitting on the floor, poking at his cheek as he tried to get Boruto to respond to him. "He's useless. Oh my god. I don't even know why this _has_ to happen."

"Neither do we." Shikadai sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It isn't like Kagura to text something like that, too."

Inojin scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest. "Yes, it is. Any jealous guy would. That dude has been trying to leave his mark all over Sarada so Boruto would leave her alone."

Shikadai was about to say something, but Inojin stopped him. "If you're going to say they're just friends and Kagura has no reason to do what he did, you're lying."

He smirked and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and fished out a lighter. "Yeah, well, say it was justified and called for but come on," Shikadai put a stick between his lips and lit the end as he spoke, "Was it really the right thing to do?"

"Only Boruto and Sarada are dumb enough to deny they've been in love with each other since they could crawl." Inojin rolled his eyes. "Now look where it got them."

Chocho rubbed her temples. "This is giving me a headache. Can we please just get him out of here so we can think of what to do next?"

"Have you tried calling Sarada?" Shikadai took a drag and blew smoke out, away from their direction.

"I have," Chocho admitted, defeatedly. "She isn't replying."

Inojin waggled his eyebrows. "Then you know what those two are up to."

.

.

.

Sarada stared at her phone in the dark, she had a number of missed calls from Chocho and Mitsuki. Inojin posted a story of Boruto slumped on the couch and Shikadai smoking in the back. She assumed they were calling to mess with her, so she didn't bother answering. Besides, she was a little too… _busy_ to attend to her phone when they called. She thought of calling back, but thought against it. They were all probably still awake, it was 2am on a Saturday night, afterall. But what would they think she was up to at 2 am?

Turning her phone off, she put it back on the side table and shifted to make herself comfortable. They didn't have to know. Not right now, at least. She took a deep breath and pulled the blanket up a little higher to hide the bottom half of her face. She shivered, even if she wasn't feeling cold.

"You okay?" Kagura asked, sleepily. The bed creaked under his weight and he draped an arm on her side and pulled her closer to him. "Feeling cold?"

She shook her head. Physically, she was fine. Emotionally? Conflicted as fuck. Did that count as feeling cold? Maybe she was being cold, to herself and her lover. Sarada curled up a little tighter, now removing his hold from her. It might be selfish of her, but right now, she just wanted to be comforted. The gravity of the situation and her tumultuous feelings were dawning on her and desperately needed something solid to hold onto.

There was someone who loved her and gave her everything she ever wanted, all the things she deserved. She was treated like a princess, much like how those romantic movies always portrayed how a girl should be treated. He's handsome, smart and has a bright future ahead of him. What more could she ask for?

Sarada shut her eyes and tried her best to calm the raging storm in her heart, in the dead of night. Kagura was all she ever wanted in a partner. Perfect in every sense and ticked off all but one thing on her list.

He isn't Boruto.

* * *

 **A/N: Oooh snap. What is this treachery? Poor Boruto. Poor Sarada. And especially, Poor Kagura. :( Writing this chapter particularly hurt me, as it felt a lot more personal. I would love to hear your thoughts about what you think might happen next!**

 **Have a great week ahead, darling! 'Til the next chapter. :)**


	30. Face the Music

**A/N: Back with another chapter! I am still so overwhelmed with your reviews and thoughts on the previous chapters. The delight I feel that a lot of you understood what Kagura was going through, as well as what was really going on with the whole situation is indescribable.**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, as well. :)**

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto.**

* * *

With her bag in hand, she stood outside the big brown door, waiting. She pushed the doorbell and fidgeted with her bag's strap. It wasn't like her to be this restless, but after the events that happened in the last two days, she couldn't help it. She rang the bell again, with more force this time.

Still, no one came.

Her face started to feel hot and tears pricked at her eyes. Why was she even crying? What was the point? Didn't she bring this unto herself? Sarada gritted her teeth and rang the bell again, letting out a short, and exasperated shout. She took in a deep breath, and the tears began to fall down her face. She furiously wiped at them, refusing to let her emotions get the better of her at this moment.

"Sarada?"

She looked up, and through tear flooded eyes, she was met with her uncle's concerned face.

Sarada dropped her bag and clung onto his waist, face wet with tears, and staining his shirt. Her uncle didn't say a word. He only placed a soothing hand on her back and allowed her to cry. Soft footsteps came from behind him, Itachi looked back, and he held a finger to his lips.

Shisui read the situation and took a few steps back as Itachi carefully walked backward, letting him and Sarada into the house. Shisui quietly walked around them and picked her bags up and closed the door. He mouthed to Itachi, "I'll make some tea." To which Itachi nodded in thanks. He was now rubbing her back in a calming up and down motion. "Do you want to sit down?"

She shook her head and clung on tighter. The corner of Itachi's lips quirked up. She was behaving much like she did when she was much younger, back when Sasuke would scold her for eating sweets before dinner and Sarada would temporarily hate him for it and seek refuge with her uncle. The one who would secretly give her a sweet or two to calm her down, but explain why her father would deny her of a treat. Although this time, he imagined the reason for her tears were far more rattling than being denied a piece of candy.

.

.

.

Sarada sat on the couch with her feet tucked under her, a fluffy blanket draped on her shoulders. A hot cup of tea warmed her hands. It was a little too hot, but she was just thankful she could feel anything at all.

Her two uncles were quietly whispering in the kitchen, surely speculating what might have happened to her. Or worse, called her mother already. But knowing uncle Itachi, and seeing how distraught she was, surely he wouldn't call Sakura immediately. The reason why she came to him, out of all the people on her contact list, was because she trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't jump into hasty conclusions and act accordingly without verifying facts and analyzing the situation.

Her uncle Shisui though…

"We should call Sakura," Shisui whispered, worry lacing his voice and making his brows knit together. "She would kill us if we didn't let her know she was here."

"Sarada is safe," Itachi sipped his tea calmly. "She needs time to herself."

Shisui pursed his lips. He couldn't argue with both those points… but it would only be a matter of time before Sakura starts calling everyone in search for her only daughter. And if Sasuke hears about Sarada missing… "Yeah, okay. I'm keeping my phone off, and I'm going to leave this to you." He sighed and handed his phone to Itachi, who only smirked in response.

"I'm going to head out and buy some ingredients. I'll cook us up a good dinner."

"Impossible," Itachi teased. "We both know I will be doing the cooking."

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just let me get out of here so you can do your thing? I'll take my sweet time, but I'm guessing like, thirty minutes tops. So…" He pointed towards the living room. "Do it."

Itachi finished sipping his tea and Shisui grabbed the house keys. He looked at Sarada as he walked out and offered her a weak smile before leaving. Itachi placed his empty teacup down on the table and walked over. He approached her carefully, eyeing the teacup in her hands, still full and no longer steaming, and waited patiently. After a few moments, she looked at him, and then down on the couch. He took this as permission to sit, so he did. Keeping his distance, he stared ahead, just waiting and allowing Sarada to get used to his presence. He would not speak, not unless she wished for him to.

The time stretched on, but Itachi didn't mind. He would wait for as long as Sarada needed to open up. Even if Shisui came through that door and finished cooking dinner, if she wasn't ready to speak, he would still not say anything. If she needed to stay for a week, he would prepare the guest room for her and allow her to extend for as long as she needed. She's a strong girl, and he has never seen her as troubled as she is now.

Although he had an inkling of what was going on, Itachi did not want to judge and jump to a conclusion just yet. From the corner of his eye, he noticed her shoulders shake… Was she… holding back tears? This made Itachi frown. Surely, Sarada knew she could cry in his home, in his presence. He had never reprimanded her for shedding a tear at any little thing, be it a show or when her pet cat died. Slowly, he stretched his hand towards her and left his palm facing up.

Sarada looked at his hand, and then at his face. Itachi wasn't looking at her, and she knew his outstretched hand was an offer for comfort, and not to pressure her. They had been sitting in silence for more than twenty minutes, and he hasn't said a word or moved. She took his hand he squeezed. Her heart tightened and she bit her lower lip. She lifted her gaze and looked at him. Itachi had a kind smile on his face.

"Uncle Itachi…" her voice shook. "I think… I think I… I'm so confused."

He hummed. "Would you like to speak about it?"

"I don't…" her voice was so small and she averted her gaze, but squeezed his hand. "I don't even know what to say. I just… I don't want to hurt him."

Itachi nodded thoughtfully. It was like her to think of others before herself, but he wanted to know more. And so, he waited some more, still holding on to her small hand.

She laughed bitterly. "I don't even know who I'm talking about anymore. I feel like I did something bad. I might have. But I really didn't mean to… while I was with Kagura-kun, I could only think of…"

Itachi kept his face impassive, but his mind was racing. It seemed like Sarada was coming closer to the conclusion, but she was still denying it, avoiding the truth like the plague, out of her fear, and perhaps… out of shame. She's a smart girl, she already knew. But she still held herself back. He chewed on his lower lip, contemplating if saying it bluntly was really what she needed right now. Perhaps if she asked…

"Uncle Itachi, I don't know anymore…"

Aha. Close enough.

"You already know it, Sarada. But I will say it anyway... You cheated on Kagura."

She froze. Perhaps it was tough to hear, but who else would she hear it from? He waited again and allowed his words to sink in. "N-no… I-I didn't I just…" she bit her lip.

Denial was a step, but letting her linger here for long wasn't going to be good now, was it? But still, he didn't say a word. It was better to let her come to the realization herself, and to justify-or accept-whatever, it is that she had been doing. Itachi was not a direct witness to her relationships, but deducing from social media, some of Sarada's random text rants, and coffee updates that he got from Sakura (sometimes through Izumi) were enough pieces of information for him. He never liked to assume-and never did-but he would be lying if he said he did not have his own predictions and opinions about his niece's... love life.

Although he knew it was a possibility, he did not enjoy seeing her in tears on his doorstep, and now the conflict racing through her mind was all too clear in her big, dark eyes. He bit his lower lip and squeezed her hand. Maybe he was too direct… This wasn't Sasuke, after all. Perhaps the tough love he gave his little brother did not bode too well with his niece… But Sarada was tough, and she was still an Uchiha. She had enough grit and she was smart. She would get out of this funk, and make the right decision.

Her shoulders shook, and salty tears streamed down her face. She rubbed at them and sniffed. Even if it was hard. Even if it meant breaking her own heart. Sarada would do what's right.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen…" her sobs grew louder, and he pulled her into his arms, into a warm embrace. Nope, definitely not the approach he ever gave Sasuke. Sometimes he thought Sasuke wouldn't be so… quiet if he was softer on him. But seeing as how he's doing now, Itachi still thinks he did okay. And hearing that Sarada apologized, she was doing far better than his little brother did at her age. After all, Sasuke only ever apologized to Sakura.

She cried more, and Itachi held her. Sarada was sputtering words and instances that didn't really make total sense to Itachi, but he felt better knowing that she was letting her feelings out and that she was now fully grasping the situation, what her role was in this, and what she needed to do. Her phone laid discarded on the coffee table, and despite it vibrating with calls and texts, they both ignored it. Even when Shisui came back with groceries, and started to clank around in the kitchen, they both paid no mind to it.

.

.

.

To say that dinner was an awkward affair was a fucking understatement. Shisui had a hard time swallowing his steak, despite it being cooked to pink perfection. And this was probably what, the third time he choked on his peas? Neither Sarada nor Itachi batted an eye about it, though. He didn't know if he was supposed to be thankful or not. After a sip of water, and clearing his throat, the silence came back. Itachi ate normally as if nothing was wrong. He even dared to have a small smile on his face, as if he was really enjoying his steak!

Sarada barely touched her food. It was understandable. But when Itachi rose and placed a slice of molten chocolate cake in front of her, she dug in. Itachi also placed a glass of cool milk next to her water, and she picked it up the moment he placed it down.

Ah right. Sarada inherited Itachi and Sakura's sweet tooth. Shisui smirked remembering how disappointed Sasuke was when he learned his little angel hated tomatoes-his absolute favorite-but indulged in sweets, just as much as his wife and older brother did.

Tough luck, Sasuke.

Shisui could finally enjoy his steak. He started cutting a piece and plopped it in his mouth as he watched Itachi and Sarada, enjoying their cake. Their lips slightly curled upward as they finished the delectable dessert. Shisui and Sarada's eyes met. He gave her an encouraging smile, and she returned it with a small one. The way her eyes shone made Shisui perk up.

"Thank you, uncle Itachi," she looked at him, and then turned back to face her other uncle, "uncle Shisui. I… I know I did something wrong, and I hurt a lot of people…"

 _Understatement,_ Shisui thought. But kept his mouth shut, as Itachi was giving him a pointed stare.

"I need to own up to it, and right my wrongs even if…" she looked down. "Even if it'll hurt."

Shisui bit his lower lip and looked at her, and then back at Itachi, who only nodded.

Sarada lifted her head up, and the fire was burning in her eyes. "I have to fix this, and I will."

Shisui gulped, but a wide grin slowly spread across his face. _Atta girl._ It's tough, and hard to do, but that's exactly why Sarada knew she had to do it. No more running away, no more denying.

It was time to face the music, and she was going to rock this.

* * *

 **A/N: Writing in Itachi's perspective always calms me, and it helped a lot because my heart was in an unbearable state or turmoil while writing this. It was as if I could feel the storm taking place in Sarada's heart! But with some help, I was able to get it done. In the next few chapters, perhaps Sarada can, too.**

 **I really cannot thank you all enough for the continuous love and support you give me and this story. It's been going on for more than a year, and a lot has happened. So far, I can say that my fanfiction readers have received this fic positively, and have been the most thoughtful regarding the plot. I've nearly given up writing this story so many times, but you all have been so kind and supportive, pushing me to go on. Thank you so much.**

 **Hearing your thoughts always brightens my day, and your guesses about what will happen next! Please do leave me a review to let me know!**

 **Have a great week ahead. :)**

 **Write on, darling.**

 **~Kairi**


	31. Plead Guilty

**Hello, lovelies! I'm so sorry, I forgot to update over the weekend. I hosted a Christmas party and got sucked into some family affairs but I am back how with another chapter! Hopefully, you enjoy and understand a little more about what is going on in Sarada's head, and in the background.**

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto.**

* * *

Shikadai, Sumire, Wasabi, Namida, Chocho, Denki, and Iwabe and Inojin sat down huddled closer together. Even if they tried to keep their voices down, the intrigue-filled the air, excitement making their voices rise. Everyone who passed by their table shook their heads, vexed with all the gossiping going on.

"I heard Kagura cried a lot," Namida whispered sadly. "But overall, he was really nice about it."

Wasabi buzzed her lips. "Yeah, but I heard Sarada didn't even shed a tear."

"No, she did!" Chocho hissed, obviously defending her best friend. "It just… took a while before it actually hit her. She was a mess back in the dorm..."

"Did she cry because she ended it, or because she was ashamed that she dragged it on for that long?" Shikadai snorted, to which Iwabe snickered.

"Hey," Denki slapped Iwabe's shoulder with the back of his hand. "Sarada really liked him. I'm sure it was hard for her to make the decision."

Inojin rolled his eyes as his friends kept talking about her breakup, grimacing each time someone brought up incorrect information. As soon as he heard Sarada called Kagura to break up, he waited and planned who he could get all the details from. Obviously Chubbs wasn't going to spill _all_ the details.

Despite Chocho's zeal for… _information_ , she generally kept quiet. Inojin knew Sarada asked Chocho not to tell their other friends, in fear that Boruto would hear what she had told Kagura. It was expected, really. Even if Sarada was close to him and Shikadai, she wouldn't come gushing to them about all the dirty details, either. He pursed his lips and guessed she was with Mitsuki right now, probably telling him about what happened. Mitsuki also didn't spill… not as much, at least. But it was frustrating to get him to talk.

Which is exactly why Inojin took the liberty of going to the next best source-Kagura's friends. Well, ex-friends, that is. The guys on the fencing team were good at the sport, but inherently bad news. The biggest baddie was Shizuma. He had Kagura wrapped around his finger before Sarada entered the picture.

Oh boy, did that guy hate her and their friend group. Kagura had drifted away from Shizuma's clique once he and Sarada started dating, but now that they were over… it was bound to happen. Kagura eventually came back to them. Despite the nasty looks, they still welcomed their star player back. Shizuma also wasted no time to sink his teeth back into his prey.

Shizuma was definitely the first to know, being in Kagura's inner circle. But like hell that guy would spill the tea. That dude was one pretty boy and liked to talk, but like Chubbs, he was also protective of Kagura and had a lot of influence over him. Borderline manipulative, really. Inojin shuddered. He did not like the other stories he heard about Shizuma in the past…

Really, Inojin was happy for the dude when he started dating Sarada just because he was out of Shizuma's grasp…

The next best person to ask was the idiot of that group. When Inojin managed to get him alone, he hit the jackpot. His source had been none other than Shizuma's number one suck up, Tsuruchi Hachiya. Arguably, he was also in Kagura's inner circle since he hung around him a lot, but he didn't seem like a close friend. Kagura would help Tsuruchi with homework and eat with him and stuff, but Inojin never felt the… bond of brotherhood between the two. Judging from Shizuma's bad mood and his other fencing teammates hanging around him all day, it looks like the gang was already informed regarding what went down.

It was too easy to get Tsuruchi to talk. Inojin thought he would need to resort to bribery or force, but the idiot was all too eager to blab. Clearly mirroring Shizuma's distaste for the breakup, and how frustrated he was with Sarada and Kagura's "weak" response to her reasons. It hurt to hear Shizuma's words, despite it coming out of Tsuruchi's mouth, and all the other nasty things he said. But two things were clear to Inojin:

One. Kagura was nowhere near angry or said anything hurtful to Sarada. He took it rather well, and they even hugged it out. He also asked for them to remain friends, and on good terms, to which Sarada obliged.

Two. Sarada's reasons were utter bullshit, but when Kagura brought up that Boruto was the real reason for their breakup, her temper rose. Although she did not deny it as well. Kagura was able to placate her, assuring her that he had known all along that she was in love with Boruto. And that it was clear to Kagura he failed to make her have a change of heart.

That last point really stung. Even if Inojin was definitely on Boruto's side to get him to confess and be with their other idiot friend, it was obvious Kagura really did love Sarada and he felt bad for the dude. All his conniving with Shikadai and Chocho and the drinking sessions he had with the boys and encouragement he threw at Boruto to get Sarada back into his life flashed before his eyes. It made his heart twist, and he blocked out a good minute of Tsuruchi blabbing away.

The guilt Inojin felt was heavy, and he could only imagine what Sarada felt when Kagura hit the nail on the coffin. Vaguely, Inojin wondered what _Boruto_ would feel once he heard… Despite his stupid choice not to tell Sarada early on and his feelings towards her, Boruto and Kagura were _friends._ This was like, breaking the bro code but not really… Well, technically Boruto did, but fuck it. It was all too complicated to present to a jury and have them judge. It was so much easier if all the idiots just pleaded guilty.

Inojin didn't even wait for Tsuruchi to finish his rant. He just left him there and thought about what to do with all the information, hands stuffed in his pockets. It had been a little over a week, and Boruto and Sarada were still avoiding each other like they had _cooties_ or something.

He grimaced when Iwabe suggested that Sarada probably lost her temper, and worse, Kagura accused her of cheating. Although Chocho was quick to deny it, Inojin couldn't stand it anymore. He stood from his seat and gave everyone a hard stare but his gaze landed on Shikadai for a split second longer and the boy nodded. Without another word, he picked up his backpack and left.

Idiots. This wouldn't need to happen if both of them simply told the truth and kissed and made up already. It would put out all the fires and kill all the rumors. Honestly. He just had to do it himself, didn't he? Why was Inojin such a good friend, and the only one with at least one brain cell around here?

.

.

.

It didn't take long for Inojin to decide who to approach. Going for Boruto was obvious and easy, but the guy was wallowing in sadness and moaning like the drama queen he was. Just thinking of attempting to get Boruto to look at him was already making Inojin's brow twitch. Sarada was also in a bad place, but she was nice and could be reasoned with. Stubborn as fuck but she could still be reasoned with. Right. To Sarada's dorm, then.

With a fist raised and a peace offering held in the other hand—a cup of her favorite Ninbucks coffee, of course—Inojin took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A sniffle, and a groan. He knocked again.

Silence this time.

He pursed his lips. Ah. She was pretending she wasn't at home. Tough luck, girl. Inojin is also a stubborn bitch.

"Hey, Sar!" He knocked louder. Ah. That annoying nickname he deigned to use only and _only_ when he had a death wish.

A growl. Yup. She knew who it was.

"Sar, come on. Open up! I got ya Ninbucks!"

Shuffling. And then a hiss, "It better be my favorite."

Inojin grinned. "You bet. Would I dare give you anything less?"

She opened the door, her nose up in the air, an attempt to look snobbish. Perhaps if Inojin didn't know her so well, he would have thought she really was. Try as she might, Sarada was no Uchiha snob. He was thankful for it, really. He liked how Sarada was, despite being an idiot and all. Why did he have such idiots for friends to begin with?

He handed her the drink and she invited him in, looking rather pleased that the drink was larger than her usual. She sat on her bed and tucked her legs under as she sipped on her drink and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. Inojin eyed the photocopied notes scattered around. Right. Chubb's did mention she wasn't going to class. Probably an attempt to avoid Boruto since nearly all their classes were the same. Speaking of which… Inojin sat on her bed and looked at her.

"When do you plan to stop avoiding Boruto?"

She sipped a little too hard and coughed.

He grinned. "Instead of working twice as hard studying from someone's notes which aren't _half_ as good as yours," Inojin eyed the scraggly handwriting and scrunched his nose. "Why don't you just go to class?"

"I don't feel like going," she snapped.

 _Bullshit_. Before he could even say it, she beat him to it.

"It is not bullshit, okay? I really don't feel well. The cold is coming, and I just don't want to get anyone sick."

Inojin fake coughed. "Oh, you're getting _me_ sick. Sick of all your bullshit."

Sarada glared daggers at him but he waved her off. "Seriously now. Other than it's getting really awkward, people are starting to _talk_ about what happened. Kagura's back to hanging out with Shizuma and his _lackeys_ , our _friends_ are gossiping, you and Boruto are obviously still acting like _babies_. What, am I supposed to do, just _let_ this all happen?"

"It's none of your business who Kagura hangs out with, what our friends talk about or how Boruto and I are being right now."

Red. Inojin saw red. He stood and his voice rose. "Utter bullshit, Sarada! You're all my friends and all this stupid shit has gotta stop! It's toxic! You already took a good step by breaking things off with Kagura, why can't you just pull through with the rest and clean up this mess you made?"

Livid. Sarada was livid. Inojin could have sworn her eyes turned red. She also stood up and stared him down. Thank god he was nearly a head taller than she was now. "Look, if you came here to yell at me and rub in that I made a mistake, I already know that!"

"Knowing is different from doing!" Oh yeah. Let the neighbors know there's a fight happening in here why don't ya, Inojin? Perhaps he could yell a _little_ louder.

She grimaced and looked away. "I'm not going to avoid him forever, okay? I just… I need time to think!"

"Think faster because it's stupid to let this linger any longer."

"Stop calling me that!"

He crossed his arms. "Only after you fix this, Sar."

"It's _not_ completely my fault." She was shaking now, and by the looks of it, wishing she could set him ablaze with her eyes. He was glad things didn't work that way in _this_ universe.

Inojin examined his nails. "No, but it still is. You and Boruto better plead fucking guilty."

Sarada pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "The coffee doesn't make up for this, you know? If I knew you were going to scold me, I wouldn't have let you in…"

Okay, that comment kind of stung. It's not like he came here with the intent to be mean. No, not at all. He just wanted to fix it already! Hearing other people talk and seeing these two (dear to him) idiots being difficult really hurt, you know? It's been going on for far too long and it was time to put an end to it. "Sar, I didn't mean it like that…"

She looked away. And yes, she knew he didn't mean it. But it still hurt. "I know," Sarada muttered. "I know I fucked up."

He groaned. Why must he be such a softie?

Sarada sniffled and wiped her eyes, trying to hide her face away from.

He looked up to the ceiling. "Alright, alright!" Why did she have to pull the crying card? She knew he hated it when she did that. Hell, when any of his friends did that. Especially Boruto. He abused that card, even if he would never admit he ever even used it. With a small pout on his lips, he opened up his arms. She peeked at him and then raised a brow.

"Come on, don't make me say it and just get in here."

She pouted right back at him. "I want to hear it."

His blue eyes narrowed. "Sar, don't push your luck. I got you coffee."

Sarada giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist, accepting his form of an apology. As if he needed to apologize but whatever. "Now can you go to Boruto and makeup, _please?_ " Now he was being polite? What is going on with the world?

She held him tighter. "He won't… he won't even reply to my messages."

This made Inojin stiffen. Boruto? Not replying to Sarada? And Sarada, texting first? The world was ending. He was calling it. But maybe this is exactly what they needed…

"I'm gonna kill him," he muttered.

She snickered. "Good. Then I won't have to go talk to him anymore!"

Inojin pulled her back and glared. "Oh no. You are going to, even if I have to drag you there."

"You wouldn't."

He smirked. "Why do you think I got you a venti? Of course, I am."

* * *

 **A/N: I always thought that Inojin and Sarada would have a special kind of friendship. With how close their mothers are, these two were bound to see each other often. With all those interactions came a lot of fights as children, but also a lot of laughs, and growing up, came to understand each other in a way that other's couldn't. My only regret is not being able to fully write it into this story. But huzzah! Here is one. I love writing in Inojin's perspective. His sass is the best thing ever. hihi.**

 **Any guesses what may happen next? Will Shizuma bite back for Kagura? Do you think Inojin _actually_ dragged her to his dorm? Is it beneath him or like him? Hehehe. I wanna know! **

**I want to thank all of you who have been leaving me constant reviews, support, and love for this story. It really warms my heart that we've all made it this far, through the hurt, and now the turning point! The next coming chapters (hopefully!) will not disappoint. ^^**

 **Have a great week ahead!**

 **~ Kairi**


	32. Friends?

**Here's the next chapter, my lovelies! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)**

 **I don't own Naruto/Boruto**

* * *

Sarada stood in front of the door, standing stock-still and boring a hole through it with her glare. He actually did it. Inojin literally _dragged_ her to Boruto's dorm, in her pajamas and all. Never mind that it was cold, or that her hair was a mess and she saw a number of her classmates along the way, practically slung on his shoulder as she _tried_ to get away. Shikadai had been waiting outside the dorm, idly playing with his lighter and opened the door when they arrived.

Inojin plopped her on the bed, right next to Boruto. He was also equally shocked but didn't say a word. Boruto looked like shit, in his joggers and a wrinkled shirt, hair messed up more than the usual.

Sarada immediately got up but Inojin and Shikadai locked the door, and the latter spoke through it. "We're not letting you out until you both settle things."

Sarada was indignant, saying that they were impossible, that they were probably the worst friends she had. And then, a feminine voice joined in along with the sound of crunching chips. "Chocho?!"

"Ah, you got her in there. Finally. I told Mitsuki I would text once they're good." She seemed to be ignoring Sarada, as she continued talking to Inojin about their class requirements.

Sarada kneaded her brows and adjusted her glasses. Not again. The three of them always did this, and as per usual, Mitsuki was more than happy to join in on their mischievous antics. She took a deep breath and straightened up. Her eyes darted around the room, wanting to land her gaze on anything but the other person in there with her.

She was suddenly so fascinated with the small kitchen, and the light blue and white plates with little snake patterns on it and the plastic placemats with lightning bolts on it. Her lips twitched up, she hadn't noticed that before. Since when did the boys start personalizing this place?

Her eyes wandered to their desks, she walked over and ran her fingers over the postcards, photos, and other trinkets lying around. This one was obviously Boruto's. There were photos of him and his sister when they were younger tacked on the corkboard that hung on the wall, a photo of him and his dad, and her breath hitched, it was a photo of her, on their last year of high school. She was sitting on a bench, a wide smile on her face, holding on to an envelope. Boruto held the camera, and had a similar envelope between his teeth, a cheeky look on his face. This was taken the day they got their acceptance letters.

He took that photo on his phone. When did he… print it out? There were other photos of him and the boys, and another with him, Mitsuki and Sarada. She kept looking around, forgetting that Boruto was watching her intently.

A small gasp escaped her lips when she noticed a hamburger looking paperweight. This was her "joke" of a present for him back when they were twelve. "You kept this?" She turned around and finally faced him.

Boruto kept looking at her, almost like he wasn't blinking. His blue eyes were trained on her. She blushed at the thought that they probably were on her the entire time. "Yeah. It's useful." He spoke slowly, sounding so tired.

She picked up the hamburger and examined it. Sarada told him it was just a joke, but she actually saved up to buy this for him. Boruto was obsessed with burgers, much like how his father was with ramen. It was the perfect gift for him. She thought he would find it mean, and that Boruto would think there was no use for it, but he brought it here, to his dorm. Sitting on his homework and other forms. Sarada put it down and leaned back on his desk and rubbed her arm.

"I didn't think you would ever find a use for it."

He snickered, but there was barely any humor to it. "Whatchu mean? I look forward to putting it on my work desk, liven up that bleak office I'm going to have."

Sarada chuckled, and then looked away. The air was heavy, and he wouldn't stop looking at her. This made her feel even guiltier as she couldn't even keep her eyes on him for more than five seconds. There were so many things she did wrong. Thinking of the pain that her poor choices inflicted on him, on Kagura, made her throat thicken, and she swallowed it down, trying to find her voice.

"Boruto…" her voice cracked, and it sounded so small, so defeated. Where would she even begin? How could she apologize and make it sound as sincere as possible? She had already tried reaching out to him and he did not reply, only left her on seen. She was angry and hurt that he did, but she understood why as well.

Even if her friends were wrong, let's say that Boruto had no feelings for her, she took advantage of him and his kindness. She bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling. Oh gosh. Don't cry. Boruto's going to feel like it's his fault if she did!

"Sarada… sit next to me."

Keeping her gaze on the floor, she sat down on the bed with him. Her hands rested on her lap, and she rubbed at her palm and fingers. "Boruto I—I'm…" a salty tear trailed down her face. "I'm—"

She was engulfed in his arms, and Sarada forgot how to speak. He held her tight and buried his nose by her ear. She wrapped her arms around him and let herself cry. As if she was back in her own dorm, all alone. But this time, she didn't feel half as lonely or as wretched. "I'm… I'm sorry." She spoke between breaths. Sarada almost never let herself cry in front of others, but Boruto was an exception. He always knew where to find her, and how to comfort her. His hand stroked her back up and down, to calm her down. But he said nothing, letting her cry it all out. As if her tears that trickled down to his own cheek held all the words and apologies she wanted to say.

Boruto held her tighter, a hand coming up to stroke her hair. A silent way of saying she was forgiven. She shook her head, denying his kindness. Sarada could never understand how forgiving Boruto could be. He didn't look like it, but he was understanding and far more patient than others would think; intuitive and sensitive to other's needs. Especially when it came to her. There were things that Boruto knew about her that even Chocho didn't. He knew how to deal with her, and respond correctly to her moods.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It was my fault, too… and I'm sorry." Boruto's voice quaked. "I'm sorry." He hid his face in her hair, and Sarada felt something hot and wet drop to her shoulder. Oh no…

Her hold on him tightened and now it was her turn to run her hand up and down his back. Boruto was a cry baby… but she never got used to seeing him cry. His sobs broke her heart, as she felt each wave of his shame and guilt wash over her. Sarada always made it a point to save Boruto from doing stupid things alone, and that's probably why they were both in this situation. They never did anything alone, always coming with the other person to watch their back. But damn, they really did it this time. They hurt so many people, including themselves.

After a few minutes, he quieted down, and pulled away, his bangs sticking to his eyes. Sarada chuckled and softly pushed them away. A warm smile spreading on her face as she looked into his blue, blue eyes. He smiled at her, too, and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

Boruto grinned. "I look like shit, don't I?"

Sarada laughed. "Don't feel too bad. I do, too."

He cupped her face. "Never. You always look beautiful."

Heat rushed to her cheeks and reached the tips of ears. Boruto was looking at her so tenderly, his hand so warm on her cheek.

Boruto blinked and froze, suddenly realizing what he said and what he's doing. He instantly retracted his hand and started babbling his apologies, cheeks flushing pink, too. "A-ah! Sorry! Umm... I didn't mean that. I mean, you're beautiful. But like, I didn't mean it the way it looked but like oh my god."

Seeing him flustered like that would usually make her laugh, but not this time. The aura in the room shifted. Since she arrived, there were so many unspoken conversations that floated around them, words that sat at the edge, ready to be spilled through their lips, hearts that wished to be poured out, and feelings that longed to see the light of day. The two of them sat in front of each other, looking into each other's eyes, both hesitating to state the glaringly obvious.

Sarada laughed nervously. "All this… tension is so palpable."

Boruto blinked. "Tension? What?"

"Yeah," Sarada tugged at the hem of her shirt and continued, "Like, if that was your confession, it was really lame."

"Confession?" Boruto gawked and choked on his spit. "Wh-who said I was confessing? Like, that wasn't, what?" He looked around nervously and laughed a little too loud. "And I wouldn't say it like that, come on!"

The corner of her lips tugged up. "I wouldn't say it that way, too."

They both looked at each other for a long while, Boruto with a surprised, yet lovestruck face, and Sarada, with a light blush and a small smile on her lips.

Finally, the door opened and in came an angry blond. "There's too much silence, you two better be making out in there!" He stopped midstep, hand still on the doorknob and his mouth in a twist. They were just sitting next to each other, with enough room for Jesus to sit in between. His brow twitched and he sighed. "Fuck. I thought I had you two there for a moment."

Shikadai walked in, a smirk on his face. "Did you two at least settle things now?"

Chocho looked at Sarada's face, and then at Boruto's. Seeing their puffy faces, and by the horrible wailing, they probably have. She grinned. "I think our job is done here, boys." She placed either of her hands on Shikadai and Inojin's shoulders. But the latter peered at the other blond.

"Yeah, we're okay," he assured.

The trio looked assured, and Sarada remained silent, glancing in his direction from time to time. The three of them started discussing plans to celebrate, or perhaps just catch some dinner to which, Sarada declined.

"I'm tired," she muttered. "And my eyes are still… puffy. I think I'll just order in or something. Besides, I have notes to go over."

The three of them complained, and Boruto only looked at her. Once Chocho and Sarada started hovering over Sarada, convincing her to come with, he gave Shikadai a quick look, who sighed.

"Alright, alright," he placed a hand on either of Chocho and Inojin's shoulders and pulled them back. "Our agenda for the night is over, let's give her some space, alright?"

Sarada looked at Boruto and mouthed, "thank you."

He only smiled and nodded before standing on his feet and following the three of them out. "Stay for as long as you like…" he whispered before leaving and closing the door behind him.

She took a deep breath and let the silence engulf her. He always had her back, and after today, she was sure he always would. Sarada crashed on his bed and rested her head on his pillow, breathing in his scent and letting out a satisfied smile.

Things were finally looking up now that they were friends again.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter made me feel fluffy, even if nothing too "fluffy" really happened. Reconciliation just makes me happy in general. ^^ Hopefully this chapter made your heart feel a little lighter, too! The next chapter is nothing but an absolute fluff-fest and I'm so excited for next week for me to show you! hihi.**

 **Also, there's only 24 days left to Christmas! Are you ready for the holidays? :)**

 **Thank you for reading, following, faving, reviewing and overall supporting this story. You all make my day. 3**


	33. Tickled Pink

**A/N: Hello my darling readers! I am back with another chapter, and it is much _much_ longer than the other chapters. It's full of fluffy goodness, and one of my favorite chapters for IGY! ****I hope you enjoy!  
**

 **I don't own Boruto/Naruto.**

* * *

"It doesn't work that way, you idiot!"

"Oh, come on, Sarada!" Boruto leaned back in his chair and huffed. "How can you be so sure?"

She lifted her textbook from the table and pointed at it. "It says so right here."

The blond rolled his eyes and continued to argue.

Mitsuki and Wasabi watched on. Mitsuki was happily sipping on his juice box, while Wasabi scribbled away on her notebook.

"Are they going to give it a rest?" She muttered.

He sipped some more, eyes shining. "I'll give it a few more minutes. This is so much fun."

She looked up from her notes and raised a brow. "You're enjoying all this sexual tension, aren't you?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Just like old times." And really, it was. The two were back to arguing at any opportunity they got, hanging out with everyone again, but there was also something… different. Inojin once commented over lunch that all the sexual tension coming from the two of them was enough to make him barf. To which, Boruto and Sarada hastily denied that there was any, of course.

Just like old times but… with sexual tension, apparently.

Mitsuki would have shrugged all of these off, as he felt like things have finally regressed to the mean, however, things have gotten awkward as Sarada would avoid Kagura like the plague, and Boruto would walk the other way if he saw the Senior anywhere close. Mitsuki thought it strange, as Kagura would greet him like he always did, and he would return the greeting. Neither Boruto nor Sarada wanted to speak up about their… peculiar behavior.

Other than that, everything was normal. That is until Boruto came to campus after one weekend wearing a new article of clothing.

"Dude!" Iwabe gaped. "Why are you in _pink_?" His face twisted.

Boruto only lifted a brow and placed the drink carrier on the table. "What are you talking about? I always wear pink." He pulled one cup out and placed it in front of Sarada, who took it, and said her thanks, but did not look up at him.

Inojin and Chocho walked over, both of them had a finger on their chin and inspected the long-sleeved sweater. The latter lightly stroked the fabric. "Not cashmere this time?"

Boruto shrugged. "Hima-chan got it for me. And I think the color and fit suits, don't you?"

The two agreed, and Shikadai complimented the color in his own dry way. "Makes you look like a Barbie doll."

"I like this hot pink color," Chocho snapped a shot of it on her phone.

Inojin snorted. "It's _magenta_ , Chubbs. Get your color right."

The two began to argue and Iwabe muttered, "Isn't it just… pink?"

Finally, Sarada looked up, curious what all the fuss was about and her heart stopped. Boruto was holding on to his cup of coffee, taking occasional sips as he watched his friends argue about what color his sweater was. He wore a white collared shirt underneath and held his books in his other hand. Once his blue eyes met Sarada's, he placed the cup down and grinned. Her heart dropped to her stomach and she looked away, trying to hide the rosy blush on her cheeks.

Boruto toed around the still arguing artists and sat next to her. She immediately picked up her coffee and drank, avoiding eye contact yet again. But he sat so close… close enough for his arm to brush against hers and she felt the fabric of his sweater on her skin and she nearly spat her coffee out.

It was soft… and warm. And that smell… he was wearing cologne today.

"Not feeling cold yet, Sarada?" Boruto grinned. "Fall is really kicking in, don't ya think? I expected to see you in a turtleneck already."

She rolled her eyes and placed her cup down. "Very funny. I brought a jacket today."

Boruto peered at the red coat that hung at the back of her chair and blinked. She snuck a peek at him and that obscenely adorable sweater. Trust Himawari to choose the cutest ones she could find. The color went well with Boruto's slight tan, and Shikadai was right. Paired with his blue eyes and blond hair, it did make him look like a Barbie doll… in the best possible way. Because _fuck_ he looked _so_ attractive. Illegal. It has to be illegal to look this good.

Pink was always his color, and he carried it confidently.

Iwabe teased Boruto, pulling Sarada out of her daze and subtly wiping the drool off her lips. "Nice sweater, _boo_."

Boruto put his coffee down and grinned at Iwabe, who was wearing a colorful-bomber-jacket thing. "I like your outfit, too. Except when I dress up like a douchebag, I try not to make it look like I'm trying too hard."

Shikadai snickered, and Sarada chuckled.

Iwabe grunted and muttered unintelligible things about their blond friend. Boruto took a sip of his coffee. Sarada sneaked a look at him. He looked at her. She hastily looked away, and then pretended to be absorbed in her reading. Boruto grinned and rested his cheek on his hand as he watched her pretend to study. Heat rose to her cheeks.

"Having trouble with that, Sarada?" He asked cheekily.

"No," Sarada replied harshly.

He was unfazed. His grin only grew. "Oh really? Then you wouldn't mind explaining the chapter to me, right? Inheritance laws are always pretty tricky, ya know?"

She pursed her lips and looked at him, her eyes instantly drawn to the pink sweater, making her look at his neck and shoulders.

"Like my sweater?" Boruto teased.

" _No_." Wow, real harsh, Sarada.

"You sure?" He lifted his brow and sang out, "It's reallyyyy comfyyyy."

Keep it together. She had to keep it together. Sarada ground her teeth and seethed, "Go away, Boruto."

He placed a hand on his heart, pretending to be struck by an arrow. "You're killing me here!" He sighed dramatically before bursting out into laughter.

Sarada grumbled and packed her things, making a hasty escape from the table. Boruto tried calling out for her, but the bell rang and it was time for class. Saying that she sped walked is an _understatement_. As soon as she reached her classroom, she placed her belongings down on the desk and sat down, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

That sweater… did look comfy. It also made Boruto look… attractive.

The last thought made her jump. It's not that it was surprising. She always found him attractive in his own idiotic yet charming way. That smile and his golden hair and those blue, blue eyes.

Students starting filling in the seats and she wiped the corner of her lip. No drool. Good job. Shouldn't be wiping for drool in the first place but why did he have to look so good? In pink, no less. Ever since they patched things up, things went back to normal for them but there really was something different between the two. The smallest of things could send her heart racing. Like whenever he would get her coffee, or whenever their fingers would brush.

There was no more denying it. Since she became aware of her feelings for him, things were a little brighter, flowers smelled better, even fall felt a little fresher. Heat rose to her face.

"Sarada!"

Her blush deepened.

"Sarada, hey!" Boruto stopped at her desk and took a big gulp of air. Did he run all the way here? "I'm—I'm sorry!" He gasped between words, still catching his breath. "You stormed off, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just playing around, ya know?"

Her lips parted. "Boruto…"

"Mr. Uzumaki," the professor chided him. "Sit down. You're sticking out like a sore thumb!"

Boruto looked around, the entire class was already seated. The only vacant one left was the one in front of Sarada. "Oh, shit," he muttered. "Sorry, sir." He took the empty seat and opened up his notebook.

Sarada released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. The professor started droning on about labor laws and Sarada opened her notebook to begin taking notes. A folded piece of paper landed on the open page and she looked ahead. Boruto was looking at her but hastily faced forward as soon as their eyes met. She pouted and opened the note.

 _I'm sorry if I upset you :(_

 _Dinner later so I can grovel more?_

She snickered, making him slightly turn around to peek at her. Her eyes softened and nodded. A bright grin spread across his face and he gave her a thumbs-up before facing forward again. Once again, she could only see pink.

.

.

.

Dinner with Boruto was always a lively affair. To her surprise, they were far away from Thunder Burger. He kept chatting during the drive about how good the fusion sushi rolls were in this chic little restaurant, pumping her up for the truffle steak that they offered, as well.

He was still wearing the pink sweater, but he had changed the shirt he wore under it. The sun was starting to set by the time they got to the restaurant and Sarada opted to leave her coat in the car.

"You sure about that?" Boruto eyed the red frock that she tossed in his backseat. "Heard it was going to get cold later."

She shrugged a shoulder up. "We'll be indoors, it's fine." Sure she would. The fact that she knew Boruto would offer his sweater to her if she got cold has absolutely _nothing_ to do with it. Sarada eyed him, and her gaze drifted all over his sweater, hugging his well-toned body. She took a deep breath and bit her lip. Why did he have to look so attractive in pink?

The two of them walked into the restaurant side by side, Boruto exchanged a few words with the lady upfront to confirm his reservation before she ushered them to their seats. Trust Boruto to always choose a booth table. The whole place could probably only accommodate up to fifteen tables. It was small, but it did have character. There were fishnets hanging on the ceiling, and fake salmon and tuna on crates around the walls, along with graffiti prices for the daily catch. Sarada's eyes looked around, appreciating the decor.

Boruto rested his elbows on the table and leaned into one of his hands. "Like the place?" A small smile on his face.

She grinned. "Yeah, it's cute. I haven't even heard about this place."

His smile widened. "I hope you like the food as much as the ambiance."

A server came by and handed each of them a menu, recommending their best sellers, as well as the newly added dishes. Boruto already had a few rolls and others to order, all of which sounded good to her. She ordered an iced tea, and so did Boruto. It was the first to arrive, and she drank nearly half without even thinking about it, as she was too absorbed with looking at Boruto as he told her about his family's upcoming Christmas plans.

"Christmas?" She straightened up, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Whoops. Maybe she shouldn't have drunk something cold on an empty stomach. "It isn't even Halloween yet!"

Boruto snickered. "Yeah but come on, it's Christmas!" His blue eyes glittered and Sarada couldn't help but grin. It was Boruto's favorite time of the year, afterall. "But yeah, Halloween is coming up. The weather is really starting to change and it's been getting a lot cooler lately."

Another shiver down her spine, this time, Boruto noticed. "You cold?"

"No, I'm fine." She bit her tongue. It was just the iced tea. With the food coming, she'll warm up in no time.

He raised a brow and pulled on his sweater. "Wanna borrow my sweater?"

 _Yes!_ "No."

Before he could retort, the food was placed before them. Her eyes widened at the selection. There were rolls with various toppings, tuna and salmon sashimi, and the familiar smell of… "Is this truffle?" She pointed at the steak.

A smug smile painted itself on his lips. "You bet."

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She loved truffle anything, and anyone who has spent enough time eating with her would know. She took a pair of chopsticks and held it up, looking for her first morsel to taste.

There was a click of a camera and she looked up. Boruto took a photo of her, a wide grin on his face and showed her the photo. It was a boomerang of her moving her chopsticks around as she looked at the food before her. She rolled her eyes but smiled. "Really? What is it with everyone taking photos of me?"

Boruto grinned. "Can't blame us for wanting to have a photo of the prettiest girl on earth."

Suddenly, it wasn't so cold anymore and her tummy did a backflip. She was sure that wasn't a telltale sign of hunger but rather… something else. Gosh, everything Boruto did just made her fall for him even more.

"I mean, right after Auntie Sakura, that is."

Nevermind. She took it back. She pointed her chopsticks at him. "You don't stand a chance with my mama! Get over it!" She puffed her cheeks, picked up a tuna roll and opened her mouth.

He laughed and held on to his own chopsticks, and picked up a salmon roll. "Yeah, I know. But I sure hope I do with you."

She dropped her roll. "What?"

Boruto placed the roll in his mouth and shrugged a shoulder up, pretending he didn't say a thing, leaving her to gape like a fish until he swallowed his roll and wiped his mouth. "You should really start eating, Sarada."

 _Well played._

Everything was delicious. The sashimi was fresh, the rolls were unique, and that steak was to die for. However, she still couldn't stop looking at Boruto and that obscenely pink and comfortable looking sweater. The meal warmed her up, but she still wanted to try it on. Once all the food was gone, she went back to sipping on her iced tea. Freshly refilled, and this time, had more ice. She shivered.

"I swear, Sarada," Boruto placed his chopsticks down and removed his sweater.

Her eyes widened as the white shirt underneath rode up, exposing part of his stomach. She quickly recovered once his face was in full view again, making it look like she was totally not staring at his abs. Absolutely not!

He handed her the pink sweater over the table. "Just put it on already. I don't like seeing you be cold."

 _Finally!_

She pursed her lips. "I said I'm fine!"

 _Oh for fuck's sake._

Boruto rolled his eyes and shoved it closer to her. "Come on, it's clean, I swear. I just wore it yesterday and today."

 _That means it'll smell like you, and I want that scent on me._ But no, Sarada didn't take it. Boruto stopped insisting when his phone started ringing. He pulled his phone out to check and stood up. "Oh, shit. It's mom. Hold on for a bit, will ya?" Boruto placed the sweater on the side of the table and stood up to go someplace quiet.

Hence, a staring contest with the sweater ensued.

Pros and cons, Sarada. Think of the pros and cons. Pros are, it looked comfortable, it would smell like Boruto, and that color would make her look even cuter. Cons? Nothing. Absolutely nothing except maybe swallowing her pride that she _did_ like the sweater and _did_ want to try it on, but she would ultimately be admitting that she _liked_ Boruto because it was _his_ and she _wanted_ it.

She chewed on her lower lip and looked around. She found Boruto near the washroom, still in the call. Her eyes drifted back to the sweater.

 _Don't. Have some self respe—_ too late. Sarada was already holding on to the sweater, feeling it in her hands. The material was so soft, and there was a light fuzzy texture to it, too. It was still warm… Pulling it closer to her face, she took a quick breath in and found herself smiling. It was clean, it smelled of fabric softener, his cologne, and that smell that was so unmistakably Boruto.

She pulled it over her head and slipped it on. The fabric was soft, and caressed her skin. It had only been on for a few seconds but she already felt so much warmer. The collar wasn't close to her nose, yet she could still smell him. Oh my god. Why didn't she do this sooner?

"Hey, I'm back, sorry about that," Boruto slipped into his side of the booth and blinked. She was wearing his sweater, and she had the biggest smile on her face. He smirked. "Happy you like my sweater." His blue eyes roamed around her figure, a smile on his face. "You look even cuter in it. I'd say pink is your color."

She was too happy to say anything. She felt so warm and comfortable, and now he was saying she looked cute. This sweater already felt like cloud 9 but now that he was back, she felt even better.

Boruto snapped another photo of her, and posted it with a caption, "She wears it better." despite her hands being hidden under the sleeves. The color made her cheeks look rosier, and that smile she wore… she looked so happy. Boruto's eyes softened.

Finally. He was seeing her be happy _with_ him.

.

.

.

Boruto drove slowly on the way back to their dorms. He enjoyed her company, and wanted it to last a little longer. The radio played soft music, and she was chattier than usual, too. Whenever he wasn't looking at the road, he was looking at her.

"Boruto, eyes on the road!" She admonished, but she was still smiling, a giggle escaping her lips. She was still wearing his sweater and he made a mental note to thank his little sister. It looked good on Sarada. The sleeves were too long and loose on her shoulders, reiterating to him how small and lithe she is. They had both grown a great deal, and he was finally taller than her.

He grinned. "Scared we'll crash?"

Her eyes widened. "Don't you dare!"

Boruto smirked. "I won't crash the car and make us fall into a ditch, don't worry. But I would gladly fall for you."

She rolled her eyes. "You've been hitting on me all night."

"Is it working?" He asked, cheekily.

Sarada bit her lip and looked at the road ahead. "Maybe a bit."

He picked up her hand and held it to his chest. "Good. I've been rehearsing my lines for years." His eyes were on the road, one hand on the wheel and the other gave her hand a squeeze. It felt nice to be able to talk to her like this again, but this time, be able to fully mean it. He hadn't confessed yet, but it was only about time.

Even if he was sincere, she didn't seem to think so. Sarada snickered, but didn't pull her hand away. "Sure, Boruto. The very same lines you use on every other girl isn't going to work on me." Even if her voice was light, she looked away, hiding the pink that rose to her cheeks.

"If I up my game," he grinned, "do you think I'd stand a chance?"

"Hn. Maybe." _Yes_.

The rest of the ride was full of laughs, spontaneous singing and comfortable silences. The kind that made Boruto wish it would stretch on a little longer. As he parked his car, Sarada removed his sweater and shrugged on her coat. He was a little disappointed that she did, but he was looking forward to having it back. The walk to her dorm, and then to his, was quite a distance and judging from the temperature displayed on his dashboard, he would need it.

As they reached her door, she fumbled for her keys, thanking him for dinner and how he really didn't need to foot the bill.

"You kidding? Mom would kill me if she found out I didn't pay for it."

She rolled her eyes and held on to her keys. Sarada looked at him and smiled. "Thank you for dinner. I really had fun. It's nice to get to catch up with you again."

Boruto flushed. "I had fun too. Thank you for coming with me."

Silence.

He shifted his weight on the balls of his feet and stuffed his hands in his pockets. It was cold, and the distance between them felt a lot closer but also farther at the same time. Boruto looked at her, noticing her gaze was averted from his. Maybe he should—

"Well," She gave him a tight smile. "I won't hold you further."

 _Oh no, please do._

"Yeah!" Boruto scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I got a test to review for."

"Oh right. Yeah, I gotta review, too." She stuck the key into the doorknob but suddenly gave him a hug. "Good luck. Text me if you have a question or something."

 _Can I stay and study with you? I want to be with you longer._

He pulled on a grin and hugged her back but released her when she pulled away, instantly missing her warmth. "Thanks."

Sarada grinned at him and unlocked her door, opening it by a crack. "Good luck to us!"

 _I really wish it were_ us.

He waved and she locked the door behind her, leaving him out in the hallway.

Boruto arrived in his dorm. He took a deep breath and sighed. He was glad to be back but really wished Sarada had stayed with him a little longer. He removed his sweater, put it to his face and inhaled. It smelled like her, and it made him smile.

"Had fun on your date?"

He jumped. Mitsuki was inches away from him. "Dude!" He held on to his heart, fearing it would jump out of his chest. "Don't scare me like that!"

Mitsuki only gave him his signature smile. "Well?"

Boruto gave him the stink eye. "It wasn't a date. I didn't ask for it to be one, so it wasn't."

Mitsuki kept smiling. "Really? So you need to make it clear it is a date before it is one?"

"Yes!" Boruto sat on his bed, placing his sweater on his pillow.

"Then why didn't you clarify it?"

He went silent. Why didn't he? He knew he wanted to go out with her, and it's not like he didn't pay the bill when they ate out often. His mom always told him it was fine to treat friends, but he fought her for the bill and insisted because… he wanted it to be one. "I don't know," he muttered.

"Then clarify next time," Mitsuki stood from the bed and went to his own. "Ask her out for lunch."

"We have a test at three."

"Then even better. You two can study. But tell her it's a date."

"A study date?" Boruto looked at Mitsuki.

"A real date," Mitsuki deadpanned.

Boruto's eyes widened. "But—what if she—"

"She isn't busy, or will reject you." Mitsuki smiled. "I'm sure she would want the company."

Boruto pursed his lips. "Yeah but I got gym in the morning and I don't want to—"

"Then bring spare clothes and take a shower. It isn't so hard, Boruto."

Touché. Since when did Mitsuki become so… practical?

Boruto changed out of his clothes and pulled out his notebook. "Yeah, okay fine." He took out his phone and saw a text from Sarada.

"Thank you again for dinner. Don't sleep too late."

He smiled and texted back, "you're welcome. I won't. I'll just skim my notes. It's not like I need to study so hard to ace it, ya know?"

She replied almost instantly, "I wouldn't be so sure. I'm going to study again before the test. I'm getting sleepy."

His eyes widened. This was it. An opening! "Wanna grab lunch and then study together?" He hit send and mentally punched himself. Idiot! Make it a date! Three dots appeared and he panicked. "Like a date!" Once he hit send and the three dots instantly disappeared, he screamed into his pillow. Boruto peeked at his screen and saw the three dots go on for fucking ever.

And finally, she responded. "Alright. It's a date :)"

Mitsuki jumped when Boruto suddenly yelled in victory. She said yes. Sarada said yes to go out on a date with him.

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.

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Sarada fidgeted as she stared at the clock that hung above the blackboard. She was nervous all morning. And now, in five agonizing minutes, she would be meeting with Boruto. Most likely, she would find him outside. Waiting. She drummed her fingers on the desk. Tapped her pen on her notebook. Chewed on her lower lip. She shook her head and tried to focus on the lecture, but to no avail.

He asked her out on a date. A _date_.

During her morning break with the boys, she told them about it due to their incessant questioning on why she was restless.

"Boruto asked me out on a date," she spoke quickly and clarified. "I mean, like, we're getting lunch and then studying together for a test…"

Iwabe, Metal, and Denki looked at each other and then back at her.

Denki spoke and scratched the back of his neck. "Really? It sounds like what you two normally do."

Sarada's has slackened. "I mean, he said it was… a date."

Iwabe nodded and sipped on his soda. "Yeah, like a… lunch date?"

"Or a study date!" Metal added, nervously.

She blinked. Why were they… watering this down? She pulled out her phone and showed them his text. Their eyes widened and they gasped.

"It's true!" Denki screeched.

Iwabe lifted his hands to the sky. "He finally did it!"

Metal has tears running down his eyes. "The bravery of youth!"

Sarada sweatdropped, picked up her belongings, and hurried to class, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

This was a date. He said it was a date. Chocho was screaming when she read the text and shook her violently, telling her this was it! All the stupid decisions, cowardice, and sexual tension was going to be worth it!

The bell rang and she zoned back into reality, packing her belongings.

Sexual tension.

This wasn't the first time she heard someone mention there was a lot of this between them. Or have any at all, to begin with. She swallowed. It's not that she's never thought about it, or considered it, but Sarada always pushed it back and shrugged it off. Sexual tension… her thoughts drifted to how good he looked in that pink sweater last night, and his abs that showed when he pulled it off. Her trail of thought then moved lower to the waistband of his pants and then to his—

"Sarada!"

She blinked and heat rose to her cheeks. Boruto was waving at her from the other side of the hall, his phone in his hand. He was not wearing that pink sweater anymore, but he was looking fresh in a white sweater, and dark jeans. Her heart sank… no pink anywhere. But she smiled nonetheless, Boruto looked like… he was glowing.

"Hello," she smiled. "You're looking… good."

Boruto grinned. "Thanks, worked out this morning." He took her bag from her but struggled a bit as his other hand was holding on to his phone.

"Here, let me hold that for you." She took his phone and saw the screen, he was in the middle of texting Mitsuki.

 _Left my sweater in the lib where we sat can u g hjhsjd_

She frowned. "Why do you keep leaving your things?" She pointed at him. "I told you to always look back before you leave a table." As she rolled her eyes, she corrected the text, removing the keyboard smash that happened when he took her bag.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry. I was in a rush. I had to go to the gym, and make sure I took a shower before I meet up with you, ya know? This is our first date, after all."

Her heart skipped a beat. Date. It really was a date. This was huge, right? Even if they've known each other for years, taking a step like this was… monumental. Well, for Sarada, at least. But was it the same for Boruto? She walked next to him and looked a little more than she normally would. Other than that after-work-out-glow, and smelling even better than his regular cologne, his clothes were pressed, a nice change from the straight-out-of-the-wash look he usually had when laundry day had just finished.

Her lips curled up as she peeked at his face. This rosy glow on his cheeks looked adorable, and he had been smiling a lot more lately, his aura was significantly lighter, too. In turn, it made her smile more, and her heart felt lighter. But the guilt and shame still lingered and resurfaced every once in a while. She spent a good ten minutes the previous night whining to her best friend if it was too soon to date, to which her best friend assured her it wasn't. She and Kagura were still friends… or so they said.

"Hey," Boruto waved his hand in front of her face. "You okay? Is something on my face?"

Sarada shook her head and laughed nervously. "No, you look great."

Boruto smirked. "Keep telling me I look great and I might just think you're in love with me."

She snickered. "You wish!"

"Oh, I definitely do." He winked at her. "Every night, to all the gods in the skies!" He threw his hands up for dramatic flare, which made her laugh, forgetting all her troubling thoughts.

This was starting to look like a good first date.

.

.

.

The next morning was a nightmare. Chocho decided not to come home to the dorm "just in case" and when she found out nothing happened, she was furious. Screaming all over the place that when she received a text that Boruto asked her immediately for another date after the exam, Chocho packed an overnight bag and camped out on Namida's couch.

"I set everything up for you!" She cried as she munched on a bag of chips. "Why couldn't you?" Her mouth was full, but she didn't care.

Sarada put her belongings down on the table and gave Wasabi and Namida an apologetic smile. The two didn't seem to mind, but there was also a certain tension between the two. She looked around and found that there were two seats empty, but one of them had a certain pink sweater draped on it. Her eyes widened. Was that… Boruto's sweater?

Shit. This was her chance. She could casually, _innocently_ , take it, tell him she found it and kept it for him but in truth, she would never give it back. That sweater was far too comfortable to return. She made a move to take it, but before her hand could grab on to the soft, fuzzy fabric, it was snatched right away.

"Here it is!" Mitsuki smiled. Sarada had half a mind to hit him, but when he noticed she was reaching for it, he was surprised. "Oh, Sarada… did Boruto ask you to get his sweater? I received the text and he asked if I could go back for it…"

"What?" Sarada panicked. "No, of course not. I wasn't trying to take it or anything!"

He blinked. "You were reaching for it, were you not?"

"Ridiculous!" She sat back down on her chair and crossed her arms. "I was… trying to get a better look. I thought, Inojin was there and I was going to wave." What the hell, think of a better excuse next time. Idiot.

Mitsuki raised both his eyebrows and a smug smile came to his face. "Okay, then. So you won't mind I take the sweater?"

"Of course not," Sarada stuck her nose up in the air and adjusted her glasses. "Tell Boruto to be more responsible and pick up his things himself!" She sniffed.

Mitsuki nodded slowly and that signature smile of his was back on his face. "Surely."

"The hell was that?" Wasabi muttered.

Namida only shrugged. Chocho was still busy whining and eating her chips.

Sarada slumped down on the chair. She had to get that sweater. It was a mighty need that needed to be fulfilled.

.

.

.

It's foolproof. Boruto had class, and so did Mitsuki. She felt the keys in her pockets and sneaked her way up to their dorm. Easy. No one will even know she went in. All those times Boruto had lost his keys were finally reaping their benefits. Boruto gave her the spare key to their dorm, and in turn, she handed him a key to hers. For safety and emergency reasons, of course.

Making sure no one saw her, Sarada hurried down the hall and stuck the key inside the doorknob, trying not to make a sound. Once the lock opened, she twisted the doorknob and pushed it open. A sly smile crept up her face. See? Easy.

She didn't look around, as she only had one item she went here for and she found it right away, on his bed. She chuckled and held on to the sweater. Holding it to her face and rubbing the soft fabric on her face. It smelled like him, too. What a bonus. Sarada removed her glasses and slipped on the sweater over her head. Before her face was through, someone called out to her and she froze.

"Sarada? What are you doing?"

Shit! Shit shit shit!

She pulled the sweater down and patted it on her body with one hand as the other groped around for her glasses. "M-Mitsuki? Don't you have class?" It was blurry, but it looked like there was someone else in the room. She couldn't quite tell who.

Mitsuki stood up and approached her, her view going HD again once she placed her glasses on. Sarada felt all the blood fall to her feet. Sumire was there, too. Sitting at the table, having lunch with Mitsuki.

Oh my god. Never mind breaking and entering, and stealing, but she was intruding on a date!

"Oh my god. I am so so sorry!" Her face was red and she wanted to disappear. This was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. "I'll just—"

"Hey, the door is open!" Boruto entered, a scowl on his face. "What the hell is—"

He stopped mid-step and blinked, blue eyes then slowly taking in the whole scene but ultimately landed on Sarada. If she wanted to disappear before, she just wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole already.

No one dared to talk, except for Mitsuki who slowly smiled his signature smile and placed a hand on Sarada's shoulder, relief washing over her. Yes! Mitsuki, you are such a good friend. Please cover it up!

"She just came by to steal your sweater," Mitsuki explained.

Perhaps death would be kinder than Mitsuki. Scratch that, it totally would be. Why did she even think he would help her?

"My sweater?" Boruto walked over to her, and Sarada started sputtering for an excuse. He only laughed and gave her a shy smile. "If you wanted to borrow it, you just had to say so, ya know?"

Her eyes widened, and the prettiest shade of pink dusted her cheeks. "R-really?"

"Yeah, I'd do anything for you…" Boruto looked at the ground, trying to hide the flush on his own cheeks.

Mitsuki smiled at them and looked at Sumire, "See? They make a good couple."

Sumire giggled. "They do."

Boruto jumped and started stammering when he noticed Sumire in their dorm, his eyes also noticing the food laid out on the table. "Shit! Sorry! We're bothering, and I—I didn't see… Shit, yeah. We'll go." He held on to Sarada's hand and pulled her out of the dorm, leaving Mitsuki and Sumire inside, laughing their heads off.

* * *

 **A/N:** hehehe. See? Nothing but pure fluffy goodness! I think I wrote this chapter within the span of like, 2 weeks. It's probably the longest chapter I've ever written. I have the rest of the chapters outlined, they just need to be written out well. Any guesses how this story will end? :)

Cheers and have a good weekend, love!


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